Armpit Botox: Chrissy Teigen uses it - but what's the cost and are there risks?

Chrissy Teigen has revealed she had armpit Botox injections to stop her sweating.

Sharing the procedure on her Instagram Stories, she wrote: “Botoxed my armpits. Truly the best move I have ever made”.

Underneath, she added: “I can wear silk again without soaking woohoo!”.

The procedure was performed by American plastic surgeon and television personality Dr Jason Diamond, according to screenshots obtained by The Independent.

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Teigen’s sweating injections procedure has piqued the interest of her followers, with several expressing desire to get it done themselves.

But is it actually a good idea? We spoke to experts Dr. Paul Reddy, Medical Director of Therapie Clinic, Europe’s largest provider of Botox, and Dr Tijion Esho, of London-based ESHO Clinic, to find out.

Armpit Botox

“Armpit sweat can be very debilitating for some people, so this procedure is very common among professionals,” Dr Reddy tells Yahoo UK.

Botox stops your apocrine glands – a.k.a sweat glands – from producing sweat, by “blocking the layer of fibres that stimulate these glands to sweat”, he explains.

How does armpit Botox work?

“Botox is a quite effective form of treatment for treating hyperhidrosis or sweating in patients,” says Dr Esho.

“It blocks the signals from the nerves to the sweat glands and tells the sweat glands to stop producing sweat.”

Before treatment, a starch iodine test is used to detect the areas of the armpit which produce the most sweat “giving a more targeted approach”.

“This is where we would put starch on the patients armpit and then iodine, the skin then turns a blue/purple colour where the patient predominantly sweats indicating where we will need to inject, Thus making our injections more precise.”

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How long does it take to be effective?

Botox injected under the arms starts to work with three to five days of the treatment taking place, reaching peak efficiency at two weeks, Dr Esho explains.

Is it safe?

We’ve all heard Botox horror stories.

But, according to Dr Esho, the treatment is “perfectly safe” as long as it is administered by a trained medical professional: a doctor or a dentist or a nurse.

“These treatments can be perfectly safe, but they are medical treatments and therefore they can still have medical adverse effects,” he says.

“Therefore you need to make sure you are seeking a medical professional to treat.”

Always make sure you do your research, only work with certified doctors and have a consultation before committing to a procedure, adds Dr Reddy.

Does it hurt?

As much as the idea of something injecting your armpit might sound scary, the procedure shouldn’t be a painful experience”, explains Dr Esho.

Just like regular Botox, thin needles are used for the injections, meaning they are minimally painful. The sensation is more like a “small pinch” and will be “over within 10-15 minutes”.

Will you sweat more from other parts of your body?

This is a “common misconception”, explains Dr Esho – but you are unlikely to notice more sweat from elsewhere on your body.

“We have within our body on average anywhere between 2-4million sweat glands – so all we can doing is suppressing those glands in that particular area,” he explains.

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“The patient will still sweat normally in other areas.”

How much does it cost?

The price is €495 (£458) to get armpit Botox at the Therapie Clinic locations in the Republic of Ireland.

For those looking to get the procedure done in the UK, sk:n offers the underarms Botox procedure for £545 at its various locations around the country.

At the ESHO Clinic in Marylebone, London, it’s £550.

How long does it last?

While it all depends on the individual and how their body responds, armpit botox generally lasts somewhere between three and six months, says Dr Reddy.