Clinical reference written by Lona Skin Lab Dermatology Specialist Clinic, Can Tho, Vietnam. Any protocol is prescribed only after a doctor examines you in person.
① Excessive sweating and body odour are not the same problem
Human skin carries two kinds of sweat gland. Eccrine glands are distributed over the whole body and secrete a thin, essentially odourless fluid whose main job is thermoregulation. Apocrine glands are concentrated in the underarms and a few other folds, and secrete a thicker fluid rich in protein and lipid. Both are driven by the sympathetic nervous system, through acetylcholine released at the nerve endings.
That splits into two conditions patients usually treat as one. Hyperhidrosis is secretion beyond what thermoregulation requires: soaked underarm fabric, yellow staining on light-coloured shirts, a change of clothes mid-day. Body odour (bromhidrosis) is different — freshly secreted sweat is almost odourless, and the smell appears only when skin bacteria, Corynebacterium among them, break down the protein and lipid in apocrine fluid. The odour is the bacteria’s product; the sweat is only the medium.
This distinction decides the intervention. Remove the damp environment and the bacteria lose the conditions they need, so odour falls as a secondary effect — which is why an intervention aimed at sweat volume also works indirectly on smell. A deodorant alone, conversely, will never solve a soaked shirt.
One further distinction matters: primary hyperhidrosis is localised to the underarms, palms or soles, usually starts in adolescence, and has no underlying disease. Secondary hyperhidrosis is generalised and is a symptom of something else — endocrine disorders, infection, drug side effects. Whole-body sweating, heavy night sweats, weight loss or fever belong in a diagnostic work-up first, not in an aesthetic procedure room.
② Travelling in for treatment: Viet Kieu, and patients from Ho Chi Minh City or the Mekong Delta
This procedure has one scheduling feature that overrides everything else: the effect is not immediate. The underarm becomes noticeably dry only after 3–7 days. Treat on the last day of your trip and you will leave Vietnam before you know how well you responded — and if the doctor needs to review you, you are no longer in Can Tho.
Flying in from abroad. Lona recommends leaving at least two weeks between a procedure and a flight; that is the clinic’s standing recommendation, with the exact interval for your procedure given by your treating doctor. For sweat-reduction injection the two weeks carry an extra benefit: enough time for the effect to appear while you are still in the country. Schedule it in the first half of your trip, never the last two days, and start the remote consultation as soon as you have a ticket: WhatsApp +84 777 679 902 · Zalo · Contact@lona.vn.
From Ho Chi Minh City. One session is enough for the procedure itself, but if you plan other treatments, group them into a single block — multi-area injection in one sitting is also exactly the situation where the product choice in block ④ should be discussed. Consult remotely first so the visit is not spent on diagnosis alone.
From the Mekong Delta provinces. A same-day procedure with no overnight stay; a morning appointment is the practical choice.
③ The full map of available approaches — including the ones Lona does not offer
The “offered” and “not in the catalogue” labels below reflect the published service catalogue as of October 2026. If you need a direction that is not listed, ask — if it is not something done here, you will be told so directly and pointed somewhere suitable.
Approach 1 — Topical antiperspirants (aluminium salts). Temporarily plug the duct at the skin surface. Inexpensive and self-administered, but must be maintained continuously and can irritate underarm skin at higher concentrations. Suited to mild cases.
Approach 2 — Absorbent underarm pads and shields. This is the most-searched option online, so it deserves a plain answer: underarm sweat pads do not treat anything. They absorb fluid so clothing is not soaked or stained — managing the consequence, never touching the secretion mechanism. Still useful as a stopgap, as long as you know what you are buying.
Approach 3 — Iontophoresis. A low-intensity current drives ions through the skin, mainly used for palms and soles, and must be repeated over many sessions. Not offered at Lona.
Approach 4 — Oral anticholinergics. Suppress acetylcholine transmission body-wide, so the benefit comes with systemic effects. This is a doctor’s prescribing decision after examination, not a menu item.
Approach 5 — Local botulinum toxin injection. Selectively inhibits acetylcholine release at the sympathetic nerve endings supplying the eccrine and apocrine glands. Without that signal the glands pause secretion — with no effect on the body’s overall thermoregulation. This is the approach Lona offers.
Approach 6 — Gland destruction by microwave, laser or curettage/suction. Aims at a longer-lasting result by destroying the gland itself; substantially more invasive. Not in Lona Skin Lab’s service list.
Approach 7 — Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS). Surgery on the sympathetic chain, performed by surgical specialists; It is not among the services listed in the published catalogue.. One mechanistic difference is worth knowing: sympathectomy can produce compensatory sweating on the back, chest or thighs, whereas botulinum toxin only inhibits locally at the intradermal micro-injection points and does not redirect sweat elsewhere.
One more limit: the service on Lona’s list is underarm sweat reduction. Palms and soles are not covered by this service.
④ Why Lona takes the botulinum toxin route, and how the product is chosen
Of the seven approaches above, local botulinum toxin injection is the only one that acts precisely on the causal link (the nerve signal driving the gland), stays local, and is not surgery.
The technique’s documentation records: the underarm becomes clearly dry after 3–7 days, with secretion reduced by 85–95%, the effect holding for 6–9 months and in some constitutions up to 12 months; odour falls 80–90% indirectly, because the damp environment is removed. These are the method’s published figures, not a commitment for any individual — your actual response is assessed by the doctor after examination.
Choosing the product is not choosing the most expensive one. The service list carries Korean, German (Xeomin) and American (Allergan) origins. The general-tier products suit a first injection for hot-season sweating, moderate severity, and infrequent treatment — once a year or ahead of a particular event. Xeomin is prioritised when you plan regular repeat injections, when you treat several areas in one sitting, or when you have a history of declining response (each round keeping you dry for a shorter time). The technical reason: each underarm sweat treatment introduces 100–150 Units, and the foreign protein load accumulated across repeat sessions is the factor linked to loss of response. This belongs in the consultation, not on a price list.
| Service | Brand / product | Invasive | Area | Listed price | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botulinum toxin for underarm hyperhidrosis | Korea (Navotox, Beautem) · Germany (Xeomin) · USA (Allergan) | Intradermal injection | Underarms | 5,000,000đ – 12,000,000đ | ~192 – 462 |
This is the listed price. It excludes periodic offers and is still adjusted to each patient’s specific condition — the range is wide because it depends on the product and the number of units required, and both are determined only after examination. Currency note: the USD figures are approximate and for reference only, converted at the rate used on this page, 1 USD ≈ 25,600 VND. Rates move; treat this as an order of magnitude, never as a quote.
⑤ The step-by-step protocol
The two core steps of the session are:
1. Topical anaesthetic on the treatment area. The numbing cream needs time to take effect, so this accounts for most of the waiting time in the appointment. 2. The injection itself. The agent is placed intradermally across a grid of points covering the area to be treated, not deep into the subcutaneous tissue.
Before those two steps comes mapping the boundary of the overactive area; afterwards comes a short period of on-site observation before you leave.
A note on detail: the clinic is currently reviewing its written protocol sheet for this procedure, so this page states only the core steps that are established rather than reproducing a full list. At your appointment the physician will describe each step for your specific case before proceeding. We would rather say less and be certain than say more and be unverified.
⑥ Who this suits — and who it does not
Suitable: people whose underarms soak through in ordinary daily activity and who change clothes mid-day; people with yellow staining on light shirts; people whose underarm odour comes from a persistently damp environment; people who need control over a defined period — the hot season, a wedding season, a long work trip.
Not suitable, or something else should come first:
- Whole-body sweating, heavy night sweats, weight loss or fever — signs of secondary hyperhidrosis. A diagnostic work-up comes first; injecting the underarms does not address an underlying condition.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding — declare it at the consultation.
- A known neuromuscular disorder, or medication affecting neuromuscular transmission — declare it so the doctor can weigh the indication.
- Active folliculitis, infection, open wounds or post-hair-removal irritation in the underarm — resolve that first, inject afterwards.
- Anyone expecting a permanent result. Botulinum toxin is a time-limited intervention: when it wears off, the glands resume as before. If you want something longer-lasting, that belongs to the gland-destruction or surgical approaches — which Lona does not perform, and we will say so plainly.
- People with odour but without heavy sweating — an examination is needed to establish where the odour comes from before deciding whether injection is appropriate at all.
⑦ Frequently asked questions
Where can I get hyperhidrosis and underarm odour treated in Can Tho?
At Lona Skin Lab Dermatology Specialist Clinic in Can Tho, T2 Dinh Cong Trang Street, Ninh Kieu Ward. The clinic offers botulinum toxin injection for underarm sweat reduction, prescribed by a doctor after examination.
How many treatment approaches exist for excessive sweating?
Seven, set out in block ③, from topical antiperspirants to endoscopic sympathectomy. Lona offers one of them — underarm botulinum toxin — and states plainly that the other six are outside its service list, so you do not travel for a procedure that is not available.
Will the injection remove the odour?
It acts on sweat volume rather than directly on bacteria. Once the damp environment is removed, bacteria lose the conditions for breaking down protein and lipid, so odour falls with it — the technical documentation records an 80–90% reduction. If you have odour without heavy sweating, get examined first.
Can underarm sweat pads replace the procedure?
No. Pads absorb fluid so clothing is not soaked or stained — they manage the consequence and never touch the secretion mechanism. Useful as a stopgap, not a treatment.
How soon does it work, and how long does it last?
Clearly dry after 3–7 days, holding 6–9 months and in some constitutions up to 12 months. Those are the method’s published figures, not a commitment for an individual.
Will it stop my body from cooling itself?
No. The product inhibits only locally, at intradermal micro-injection points in the underarm. Overall thermoregulation is unaffected, and sweat is not redirected to the back, chest or thighs as can happen after sympathectomy.
Why is the price range so wide?
The listed range is 5,000,000đ – 12,000,000đ (approximately USD 192–462 at the reference rate above) because it depends on the product and the number of units required, both determined only after examination. These are listed prices, excluding periodic offers and still adjusted to each patient’s condition.
Does repeat injection cause loss of response?
Declining response is real, and shows up as each round keeping you dry for a shorter period. Since each underarm treatment uses 100–150 Units, anyone planning regular or multi-area injections should discuss the product choice with the doctor from the first session.
Can palms and soles be treated too?
Lona’s listed service covers the underarms. Palms and soles are not part of this service.
When in my trip home should I schedule it?
In the first half, and at least two weeks before your flight per the clinic’s recommendation — enough for the effect to appear after 3–7 days, with time left for review if needed.
⑧ Message the clinic
Message us for a doctor’s assessment: which severity band your sweating falls into, which product suits the treatment frequency you have in mind, and — if you are travelling in — where in your trip the session should sit.
- Messenger: https://m.me/lonaskinlab.vn?ref=cum-12
- Zalo: https://zalo.me/4428027389339512399
- Hotline: +84 777 679 902
Lona Skin Lab Dermatology Specialist Clinic T2 Dinh Cong Trang Street, Ninh Kieu Ward, Can Tho City, Vietnam. Hotline: 0777 679 902 · 0932 927 723 Operating licence: 735/CT-GPHĐ Advertising licence: 4770/XNQC-SYT Medical director: MSc. Dr. Le Thi Thao Vy — Dermatology
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