Axillary hyperhidrosis. Local treatment with aluminium-chloride hexahydrate 25% in absolute ethanol with and without supplementary treatment with triethanolamine

Abstract

In a randomized, double-blind, half-sided experiment, 30 volunteers were treated in both armpits with aluminium chloride hexahydrate 25% in ethanol. In order to neutralize pH and thus reduce the skin irritation, post-treatment was performed in one armpit with triethanolamine 50% in ethanol. The sweat production was measured after physical labour by means of a combined colorimetric/gravimetric method. The combined treatment with aluminium chloride hexahydrate and triethanolamine was found to be statistically significantly (p less than 0.01) less irritating to the skin, but also statistically significantly (p less than 0.01) less effective than treatment with aluminium chloride hexahydrate alone. However, the reduction in the effect of the treatment was not of a sufficient extent as to be noticed by the volunteers themselves.