Hello there, friends! I’m so excited to be sharing today’s blog post with you, and guess what? We have a special guest today…. my sister, Katherine! About a month ago I partnered with miraDry and Jandali Plastic Surgery in Trumbull, CT to gift my sister a miraDry treatment. For those who aren’t familiar, miraDry is an FDA cleared treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive armpit sweating). Since Katherine has much more medical experience than I do, I’m going to let her take it from here! Keep reading to find out why she wanted to get miraDry, her experience, and more! 

Turning things over to
Katherine now…

Hi! I’m Katherine, Helen’s younger sister! I’ve been bothered by axillary hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating in my armpits, for what feels like forever. I’ve been self conscious about pit stains for years and it has affected me from what clothes I feel comfortable wearing (tank tops or layers are my best friends!) to my overall confidence. Years ago I learned that Botox could be used to temporarily treat hyperhidrosis and I was really interested, but it ultimately didn’t feel like a good treatment option for me for a variety of reasons.

2 years ago, I started working as a medical scribe for a dermatologist who is very passionate about treating hyperhidrosis in her clinic. In her practice, she uses oral and topical medications as well as Botox to help reduce sweating. Although she did not offer miraDry in her practice, she was very interested in the procedure and she told me quite a bit about it. I thought it sounded like an amazing treatment and I knew that one day I wanted to have it done.

As fate would have it, 2 months ago, miraDry reached out to partner with Helen! When miraDry contacted Helen, I had just recently been accepted to medical school. Of course I felt so excited about starting school and pursuing my dream, but I couldn’t help but think of how the added stress of school would lead to many, many pit-stained scrub tops, blouses, and even white coats. Helen definitely earns best sister award for partnering with miraDry to gift me this treatment. I feel so lucky to have gotten miraDry done just in time for school to start, and I know that even though I’ll have a lot to think about over the next four years and I’ll have a lot of things to stress about, sweating won’t be one of them! 

Keep reading for Katherine’s miraDry Q & A!

Q: How long did the procedure last?

A: The procedure took about an hour, but it can vary based on the surface area that will be treated. 

Q: Did it hurt?

A: The numbing process was a little uncomfortable (the level of discomfort will certainly vary depending on individual tolerance of needles/injections) but the numbing was not painful. Also, although the numbing process did take a while (the nurse who did my procedure was very thorough which I appreciated!) I was only able to feel the beginning of it. The miraDry procedure was 99% painless thanks to the extensive numbing! The remaining 1% was just a brief moment when the device was placed a bit too low and it ended up being outside of the numbed area. But the nurse who performed my procedure had explained miraDry thoroughly prior to starting and warned me about potentially feeling some “breakthrough heat.” I told her when I felt the heat and she stopped the device immediately and moved back to the numbed area.

Q: What did it feel like once the procedure was over?

A: It felt strange! My armpits didn’t hurt at all when the procedure was finished, they just felt strange and numb. Additionally, the numbing and some swelling extended into my upper arms. After about 5 hours, I noticed the numbing wearing off and I started experiencing some discomfort and tenderness. I also started to see some bruising around this time. The evening of the procedure and the day after was the most severe discomfort and tenderness, which I would rate as a 3/10. So really it wasn’t bad! Each day the swelling, discomfort, and tenderness slowly improved. 

Q: How much downtime did you have after the procedure?

A: I took it easy the day of the procedure and the day after the procedure, and I iced my armpits on and off pretty consistently throughout these two days. I took some ibuprofen as needed during these two days as well, and it helped with some of the discomfort and tenderness. Part of the reason I was taking it easy is because I wasn’t working and school hadn’t started yet. If I did have things that I needed to do, I think I would have been able to resume my normal activities without much difficulty. 

I would say my armpits felt completely back to normal 18 days after the miraDry procedure. I’m writing this now 30 days after the procedure and I wouldn’t say my armpits are 100% looking back to normal yet because I have some small bumps that are still visible. Overall though, there is no remaining bruising and those small bumps are the only visible remnants of the swelling. 

Q: Has miraDry changed your life?

A: Yes, miraDry has changed my life for the better. I’m extremely happy with my result from the procedure. Most days I have not noticed any underarm sweating, and on the days when I have noticed some sweating it’s been greatly reduced from what I was used to. I feel much more confident in wearing tops with sleeves and I feel like I can wear light-colored shirts again without being self conscious about pit stains. I’m so grateful that I was able to have the procedure done prior to starting medical school. Overall, I had a great experience with the miraDry procedure and with everyone at Jandali Plastic Surgery. Now that I’ve experienced the procedure, healing, and my result, I feel that miraDry was definitely worth it and knowing what I know now I would still choose to have it done again. 

If you think miraDry sounds like something you would be interested in, use this link to get a free consultation. If you live in the Fairfield County/Westchester County area and would like to learn more about miraDry, please reach out to the staff at Jandali Plastic Surgery in Trumbull, CT. Again, Katherine was so pleased with her entire experience at their office. Jandali Plastic Surgery is offering YOU $200 off your treatment with code: HELEN.