Lines & Wrinkles Consultations
Consultations for excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
Hyperhidrosis is sweating beyond what the body needs to regulate its temperature. It affects roughly one in a hundred people, it has nothing to do with hygiene or fitness, and most people who have it have spent years managing around it — choosing clothes by how well they hide marks, avoiding handshakes, keeping a spare shirt at work.
It is a recognised medical condition and it can be assessed and managed.
Primary and secondary hyperhidrosis
Primary hyperhidrosis usually starts in adolescence, affects specific areas — underarms, palms, soles, sometimes the face — and often runs in families. It has no underlying cause.
Secondary hyperhidrosis appears later, tends to affect the whole body, can happen at night, and is caused by something else: thyroid conditions, diabetes, menopause, infection, or medication including some antidepressants.
That distinction is the first thing we establish, because if yours is secondary the right answer is investigating the cause with your GP — not treating the symptom here.
What to try first
Before any clinic appointment, it is worth trying a high-strength aluminium chloride antiperspirant, applied at night to completely dry skin. Many people use these incorrectly — in the morning, on damp skin — and conclude they do not work.
If you have already tried that properly and it has not helped, a consultation is a reasonable next step.
What happens at your consultation
Full history including onset, pattern, triggers, family history and current medication.
Screening for causes that need onward investigation.
Discussion of severity and impact on daily life.
All appropriate management options set out, including referral where that is the right answer.
Where prescription treatment is clinically appropriate, that is discussed with you individually at the appointment.
The consultation fee
Free. 45 minutes, face to face. Any treatment costs are discussed with you at the appointment.
Common questions
Is excessive sweating a medical condition?
Yes. Hyperhidrosis affects roughly one in a hundred people and has nothing to do with hygiene or fitness. Primary hyperhidrosis usually starts in adolescence and affects specific areas. Secondary hyperhidrosis appears later, affects the whole body and is caused by something else — which needs investigating rather than treating.
What should I try first?
A high-strength aluminium chloride antiperspirant, applied at night to completely dry skin. A lot of people use these in the morning on damp skin, find they sting and do not work, and give up. Used properly they help a great many people, and they cost a few pounds.
Why can't I see prices for this treatment online?
Because UK law does not permit prescription-only medicines to be advertised to the public, and that includes advertising their price. We can tell you the consultation fee, and we can discuss everything else with you in person at the appointment.