"Ultrasound https treatment can reduce excessive sweating https in the underarms by nearly  according to a new study. Researchers used a microfocused ultrasound to target the sweat glands in  men and women aged  to  says Mark Nestor MD PhD a dermatologist and voluntary associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. All had hyperhidrosis https a condition where a person sweats much more than the body needs to cool itself. Microfocused ultrasound appears to be effective and safe in the treatment of hyperhidrosis https Nestor says. It works he says by heating and destroying the sweat glands under the arm. The sweating can occur even when the temperature is cool and the person is at rest. The armpits palms and soles are often affected. He presented the findings here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. Nestor received a research grant for the study from Ulthera which makes the technology. The study was small and the findings are preliminary. Excessive Sweating The Problem About  of people suffer from this excessive sweating. Doctors diagnose it by tests such as the starchiodine test. In this test iodine solution is applied to the areas with sweat. When it dries starch is sprinkled on the area. If there is excess sweat the combination turns purplish. Excess Sweating Study Details Nestor gave the men and women two ultrasound treatments  days apart. He treated one arm. He gave the other arm a sham treatment that looked the same. He evaluated their sweat production after both. He used standard measures to assess sweat production including the starch iodine test. At the meeting he reported results on the  people after two treatments. Two months after the second treatment he found nearly an  average reduction in sweat. Some in the study reported temporary tenderness redness numbness and bruising. Nestor is in the middle of a second study looking at  patients. Fourteen days after one treatment the average sweat reduction was  he says. Its still early he says. He will give them a second treatment. It should get better. There was no improvement in the untreated underarms. The technique takes about  minutes per armpit https Nestor tells WebMD. He plans to test the treatment for palm sweating. Nestor did not estimate costs. The company has FDA approval for eyelid lifts with the device. Excess Sweating Second Opinions Although the result is preliminary it looks good says William Abramovits MD a Dallas dermatologist. He reviewed the findings for WebMD. The available treatments for excess sweating do not work for everyone says Abramovits. He says he would welcome more options for his patients. A larger study is needed says Carolyn Jacob MD a Chicago dermatologist. Examining the tissue specimens from the underarms under a microscope would help determine if the sweat glands are truly destroyed she says or if inflammation prevents them from working. She reports serving on the advisory board for Miramar Labs. It makes miraDry a treatment for excess sweating. Excess Sweating Other Options Among the current options for treating excessive sweating  Antiperspirants  Medications https to prevent sweat glands from being stimulated  Botox https FDAapproved for excess sweating in   Surgery to turn off the nerve signals that trigger excess sweating.  Iontophoresis an FDAapproved procedure using electricity to block sweat glands  miraDry approved by the FDA in . A handheld device delivers electromagnetic energy to the sweat glands. It takes the sweat glands to a temperature that results in irreversible damage says Steve Kim chief technology officer and founder of Miramar Labs which makes it. The loss of the glands will not adversely affect body cooling he says. The procedure costs  to  he says. This study was presented at a medical conference. The findings should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the peer review process in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal."