A non-surgical, drug-free hyperhidrosis treatment includes applying infra-red laser irradiation having a wavelength of at least approximately 1064 nm to a plurality of discrete spots in the affected area. The operating parameters of the infra-red laser are adjusted so that the irradiation penetrates the skin at each spot and deactivates the underlying sweat glands. The degree of sweat suppression is controlled by adjusting the number of and spacing between the spots. The laser light can be generated by a NdYAG laser. The spot size can be approximately 2 mm, the pulse duration approximately 0.65 ms, and the laser power approximately 9300 Watts. A prior art laser source can be used to manually implement the invention, or a special purpose apparatus can automatically deflect the infra-red beam under digital control between the desired spot locations. In embodiments, the controller further controls the laser timing and other operating parameters.
