RA Fischer MD-1A Iontophoresis Machine Review – Long Term Update

Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating is an issue that affects a small percentage of the population and can make life very difficult for those who have it. I have written about my experience with this condition in a previous article. Over the years I tried several treatments from antiperspirants to oral medications and eventually decided to try iontophoresis to treat this condition.

Iontophoresis works by using a machine connected to trays of water to deliver an electrical current to the effected area such as hands or feet. By doing this, it is supposed to help reduce the amount of sweat in these areas. There are a few companies that manufacturer iontophoresis machines. I decided to try out the RA Fischer MD-1A unit because they had an option to rent it to try it out for a month.

This was around 2011 when I first started using the machine. It took a while to see results but I did see enough improvement in the reduction of sweating to go ahead and purchase the device. It has now been about 6 years and I am still using the machine to help with hyperhidrosis. It is not a 100% cure and I still sweat quite a bit, but it does help to make it more manageable.

My current schedule consists of treatments for the hands about every 2-3 days or so with a 15 minute session, switching the polarity for each session. I do both hands at the same time and use my foot to control the knob on the device to adjust the intensity of the current. I usually turn the milliamps up to about about 10-12. I find this setting is pretty comfortable unless you have any cuts or cracks from dry skin on your hands, then it can sting quite a bit in these areas.

As I recall, and it looks like it is still the case, you must get a doctors prescription to order the unit. Also, when I purchased the unit, I submitted the bill to health insurance but they did not cover it so I ended up having to pay for the whole thing out of pocket. I recommend checking with your insurance to see if they will cover this device.

Overall the machine is not cheap but it is still working after years of treatments and I have not had to replace any parts or anything so I would say it has been worth it. If you have been struggling with this condition, I recommend trying out an iontophoresis machine such as the RA Fischer. 

 

Update 5-8-21:

It's been about 10 years and I am still using the RA Fischer ionto machine. Surprisingly it still works good as new even having used it on a regular based for all this time. I have not had to replace any of the parts. I still find it to be the best treatment option for hyperhidrosis that I have found so far.