ETS Surgery: A Possible Solution To Sweating Problem

Either a dermatologist or a thoracic surgeon can perform Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy or ETS Surgery. Other than hyperhidrosis, Raynaud’s disease and facial blushing are just some of the conditions that can also be treated through this process.

The most common issue of excessive sweating that is treated by ETS surgery is Palmar hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating in the palms). When this happens, a patient is usually unable to steadily hold anything because it can easily slip off his hands due to the sweat, or unable to hold specific materials like paper because they may easily get wet. Because of this, aside from the inability to perform simple activities like writing, patients often greatly suffer in terms of dealing with other people.

ETS Surgery prevents a certain area of the skin from sweating. During the said treatment process, a surgeon would need to cut through the patient’s body and search for sympathetic nerves that you will find within the thoracic cavity, and then clamp them using titanium clips.

The bodily processes that produce sweat are being affected by the brain signals that pass through the sympathetic nerves. But, the safety and general soundness of this procedure has already been questioned by many individuals.

Due to variations of nerve formations among patients, ETS surgery has bigger risk compared to other types of surgery. Therefore, there is a higher chance of missing certain nerve branches. As ETS surgery patients rise, so does the side effects caused by ETS surgery.

While one report claims that more than 50% of all those who have undergone the procedure experienced more sweating after the surgery, Beverly Hills’s The Center for Hyperhidrosis states on their website that mild to severe levels of these side effects are expected to some degree from all patients. Severe compensatory sweating, on the other hand, may be observed by 3% to 5% of the patients of this surgery. Compensatory sweating is characterized by excessive perspiration on wide areas of the body like the chest, back, abdomen, or upper thighs. The part of your body that have been subjected to ETS surgery may have stopped sweating, but much more sweating may likely happen on other parts of your body.

Other reports cited the following as side effects of ETS surgery: gustatory sweating wherein one sweats just by merely smelling or eating; phantom sweating wherein one feels that he is sweating but is really not; the growth of nerve infections in case the procedure is incorrectly performed; heat intolerance; reduced pulse reaction and heart rate; and more.

Due to these limitations, there are some territories that prohibit the performance of ETS Surgery. While Taiwan allows its constituents who are 20 years old and above to get this kind of procedure, Sweden has completely put a stop to it in 2003. The human body is not always predictable, contrary to what Science claims. ETS Surgery is still not the perfect answer to the never-ending sweat “problem”. Perhaps the most non-harmful means would be to try those that wouldn’t let the body go wrong no matter what. In the long run, the best way may still be the natural way.

There are a great number of treatments to stop excessive sweating. ETS Surgery is one of the many options available for you.

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