Whatever the weather
Underarm sweat patches
Marks that appear within minutes of getting dressed, ruined shirts, and a wardrobe quietly organised around what hides it. This is the most common area we treat and the one that responds most predictably.
Excessive sweating treatment at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford uses targeted injections to interrupt the signal driving overactive sweat glands. Performed by Dr Mattia Parducci for underarms, hands, feet, forehead and scalp, with no downtime and results lasting up to nine months.
Everybody sweats. The line worth noticing is not how much, but whether it still fits the situation. Soaking a shirt in a cool room, keeping a spare top at work, choosing clothes by how well they hide marks: that is not ordinary sweating, and there is a straightforward treatment for it.
Primary hyperhidrosis is the common form. It usually starts in the teens or twenties, tends to run in families, affects specific areas rather than the whole body, and stops while you sleep. The sweat glands themselves are perfectly normal. The nerve signal telling them to fire is simply set too high, which is why the treatment works on the signal rather than on the glands.
Secondary hyperhidrosis is the one we always screen for. It comes on later, affects the whole body, often continues at night, and is driven by something else: thyroid problems, diabetes, infection, the menopause, anxiety, or a medication you are already taking. That needs a diagnosis before it needs an aesthetic treatment, and we will send you to your GP rather than treat around it. The NHS guidance on excessive sweating is a good place to start reading.
For primary hyperhidrosis the treatment works well, works quickly, and is one of the most reliably satisfying things we do.
The area decides the dose, the technique and the price, so it is the first thing we establish. Most people have one dominant area and a second they had not thought to mention.
Whatever the weather
Marks that appear within minutes of getting dressed, ruined shirts, and a wardrobe quietly organised around what hides it. This is the most common area we treat and the one that responds most predictably.
The dreaded handshake
Damp hands before a meeting, smudged paper, a phone that will not read your thumbprint. Palms need a higher dose and a more uncomfortable set of injections, so we numb thoroughly and talk it through first.
Visible at the worst moments
Sweat running at the hairline while everyone else looks comfortable, and makeup that will not stay put. The forehead and scalp respond well, and the dose is placed carefully so your brow still moves normally.
See your GP first
Sweating that started recently, covers your whole body, or wakes you at night is a different problem and it needs a medical answer, not an aesthetic one. We will point you to your GP so it gets looked at properly.
The treatment is the same in principle wherever we use it. What changes is the area, the dose and therefore the price.
| Compare | UnderarmsThe most common area | Hands or feetHigher dose, more sensitive |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Best for | Underarms Underarm sweat patches and ruined clothing | Hands or feet Damp palms or soles that affect work and confidence |
| How it works | Underarms Tiny injections just under the skin interrupt the nerve signal to the sweat glands | Hands or feet The same principle, spread across a larger and more sensitive surface |
| How long it lasts | Underarms Usually six to nine months | Hands or feet Usually four to six months |
| Downtime | Underarms None at all | Hands or feet Tenderness for a day or so |
| Price from | Underarms £495 | Hands or feet £595 |
| See the treatment | See the treatment |
There is one treatment here rather than a menu, and Dr Mattia Parducci performs it personally. What varies is the area, the dose and how often you come back.
Doctor performed
A grid of very fine injections placed just beneath the skin across the affected area. It interrupts the signal between nerve and sweat gland, so the glands simply stop being told to fire. Nothing is removed and nothing is permanent, which is exactly why it is safe.
Where every plan starts
Dr Mattia maps the affected area, checks that nothing else is driving the sweating, and agrees the dose with you. If your history points to a medical cause, this is the appointment where we say so and refer you rather than treating.
Planned around your year
Results wear off gradually rather than stopping suddenly. Most people settle into treating once or twice a year, and plenty book ahead of summer, a wedding or exam season so they are covered when it matters most.
The assessment is mostly a conversation, because the history tells us far more than an examination does.
Dr Mattia Parducci will ask when it started, whether it is confined to particular areas, whether it stops while you sleep, whether anyone in your family has the same, and what medication you take. Those answers separate primary hyperhidrosis, which we treat, from secondary hyperhidrosis, which needs a diagnosis first. He will map the affected area, agree the dose with you, and be straight about what the treatment will and will not change.
What it will not do is alter how much you sweat elsewhere. Treating underarms does not make you sweat more from your back, which is the question almost everybody asks. What it will do, for most people, is remove the thing they have been organising their day around.
Come with clean, unmoisturised skin and avoid shaving the area for a day or two beforehand. Tell us about any medication, and about any neuromuscular condition or pregnancy, both of which mean this treatment is not appropriate.
We may mark the area first with a simple starch and iodine test so the dose lands where the sweating actually is. Numbing cream goes on for palms and soles. The injections themselves take around fifteen to twenty minutes and feel like a series of quick pinpricks.
Back to normal immediately, though we ask you to avoid the gym, a hot bath and alcohol for the rest of the day. You will notice the difference from around day three to five, with the full effect by two weeks. We review at two weeks in case any area needs topping up.
Plenty of people arrive having tried nothing stronger than a supermarket antiperspirant, and there are a couple of steps genuinely worth taking before treatment.
The most useful is a proper aluminium chloride antiperspirant from a pharmacy, applied to completely dry skin at night rather than in the morning. Applied that way it works far better than most people expect, and if it controls the problem you may need nothing else. Breathable natural fabrics, absorbent underarm shields and keeping a spare shirt at work all help around the edges. If anxiety is part of the loop, and for many people it is, treating the sweating often quietens the anxiety rather than the other way round.
Where home care runs out is when the antiperspirant irritates your skin, or simply is not enough, or when the area is your palms or soles where topical products barely work at all. That is the point at which the injectable treatment is worth a conversation.
If your sweating comes with hot flushes, or with weight or energy changes, please start with your GP rather than with us.
Underarms are £495 and hands or feet are £595. The difference is dose: a larger, more sensitive area needs more product. Prices are on our prices page and confirmed at your consultation.
Most people notice a difference between day three and day five, with the full effect settled by around four weeks. We review at four weeks so any patch that is still active can be topped up.
Underarms usually stay dry for six to nine months. Hands and feet tend to be shorter, around four to six months. It wears off gradually, so you get plenty of warning before you need treating again.
Underarms are very tolerable, more of a series of quick pinpricks than anything sharp. Palms and soles are more sensitive, so we use numbing cream and take our time. Nobody is expected to sit through something uncomfortable.
This is the most common worry and the answer is no. Treating one area does not redirect sweating elsewhere. Your body has plenty of other glands and loses heat perfectly well without the treated area.
Yes, when performed by a doctor at an appropriate dose. It is a very well established use of the treatment. It is not suitable in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you have certain neuromuscular conditions, which is part of what the consultation checks.
Yes, straight away. We ask you to skip the gym, hot baths and alcohol for the rest of the day, but there is no visible sign you have had anything done.
Then treating it here would be the wrong order. Sweating that started suddenly, covers your whole body or wakes you at night should be assessed by your GP first. We will tell you if that is what your history suggests.
Hot flushes and night sweats are a different pattern from primary hyperhidrosis, and they usually respond better to managing the menopause itself. Speak to your GP first. If you also have long standing underarm sweating, that part can still be treated.
Primary hyperhidrosis often starts in the teens, and it can be treated in older teenagers where it is genuinely affecting daily life. We would want a parent involved and would usually try prescription strength antiperspirant first.
Yes. Forehead and scalp sweating respond well. The dose is placed carefully so your brow still moves naturally, which is the main thing people worry about with treatment on the face.
Yes, and it is worth it. It is where we confirm the pattern is primary rather than secondary, map the area and agree the dose. Where appropriate we can treat at the same visit.
Verified Google reviews, left by people we have treated.
I visited Cannelle for a consultation with Dr Mattia about excessive sweating. He was incredibly thorough, took his time to understand exactly what I was looking for and explained everything clearly. The clinic is spotlessly clean and the whole team made me feel at ease. Really impressed and will definitely be returning.
Fantastic. Very welcoming, explained the process and kept me updated throughout. I can already see an improvement in my skin texture and tone. Would highly recommend and cannot wait to return.
Natalia did an amazing job, she took the time to ask me my skin concerns and to adapt the facial to my needs. She recommended steps to add to my skincare routine and a couple products that would help. I had a great time!
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
We welcome patients from across Oxford city and Oxfordshire, including Summertown, Headington, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney and the surrounding towns and villages. Whether you’re coming for routine skin-health treatments or specialist aesthetic consultations, our location is well connected and simple to access.
Our clinic, Cannelle Skin Clinic, is just minutes from Oxford city centre and easily reached by car, bus or rail. Oxford’s mainline stations Oxford Station and Oxford Parkway are a short taxi or bus ride away, and regular services link to London, Reading, Didcot, Banbury and beyond.
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Whether you’re travelling from within Oxfordshire, further afield in the UK or internationally, our clinic offers a calm, personalised and professional environment for your visit.
