Hyperhidrosis

Qualified, registered practitioners

Only medical practitioners who hold the appropriate specialist qualifications are eligible to be registered to prescribe Botulinum Toxin.

Not everyone has access to this item number.
A completed Botulinum Toxin request for reimbursement and authorisation form must be completed by the patient and the specialist medical practitioner after each treatment.

Excessive sweating

Hyperhydrosis, or excess sweating, is a medical condition where perspiration is far greater than the physiological needs of the body. Uncontrolled sweating affects milions of people around the world. Although the reasons why some individuals sweat excessively is obscure, it is known that the sweating is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. Excessive sweating may be episodic or continuous. Until recently excessive sweating has been difficult to control, but now there is a long-lasting treatment for hyperhidrosis that works.

Botulinum Toxin for Hyperhidrosis

Botulinum Toxin has been used to treat a range of medical conditions for more than 20 years. Unlike topically applied treatments, such as aluminium chloride hexahydrate, Botulinum Toxin targets sweating at its source. With a few tiny injections, Botulinum Toxin enters the specific glands in the underarms responsible for excessive sweating and blocks the release of the chemical that triggers the perspiration. Patients treated with Botulinum Toxin notice a remarkable improvement in their symptoms with results that can last up to 12 months after treatment.

Darlinghurst Dermatology Skin & Laser Clinic now offers Medicare benefits to patients.
Botulinum Toxin treatments for certain medical conditions, like hyperhidrosis, are now more affordable for patients since the government agreed to list it on its subsidy scheme, the PBS. The injected toxin will now be subsidised for treating excessive underarm sweating. The authority to supply Botulinum Toxin to eligible patients through the PBS is provided under Section 100 of the National Health Act 1953. The Australian Government funds the Botulinum Toxin program to rebate the cost of Botulinum Toxin for eligible patients.

Referral by your local doctor

You will need to obtain a referral from your local GP to qualify for Medicare benefits for hyperhidrosis.
Patients must meet the relevant criteria as indicated in the restrictions to be eligible to receive pharmaceutical benefits.

Eligible patients suffering severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis are described as those patients aged 12 years or older who have failed or are intolerant to topical aluminium chloride hexahydrate after one or two months of treatment.