ETS Surgery: Benefits And Risks

There is a medical procedure which is done by a thoracic surgeon or a dermatologist for the purpose of combating hyperhidrosis— 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.

Palmar hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating of the palms is the most demanding of all cases for the treatment using ETS surgery. In this case, 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. A person who has excessive sweating on the palms may be socially affected and may not be able to perform simple tasks as well.

To end the suffering brought by sweating: this is the main purpose of ETS surgery. During the said medical procedure, a surgeon would need to cut through the patient’s body and search for sympathetic nerves that are located within the thoracic cavity, and then clamp them using titanium clips.

The sympathetic nerves serve as the medium for brain signals that prompt the body to sweat, hence making them major role players in controlling your body’s sweating function. However, this medical procedure has already created some issues from observers.

The risk with ETS surgery is greater than other types of surgery because it involves nerve formations that may differ from one person to the next. Therefore, there is a higher chance of missing certain nerve branches. The side effects of ETS surgery grow parallel to its growing number of patients.

While one report shows that more than 50% of all those who have undergone the procedure ended up sweating more than they do prior to 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. Furthermore, 3% to 5% of the patients may experience severe compensatory sweating. If you experience profuse sweating on wide body surfaces like your chest, back, abdomen, or upper thighs, that’s one indication that you might be suffering from compensatory sweating. The part of your body that have been subjected to ETS surgery may have stopped sweating, but much more sweating may likely occur 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.

Some countries do not promote ETS Surgery because of its dangers. 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. Science suggests that the human body is predictable, but it actually isn’t. ETS Surgery is not a perfect antidote to excessive sweating. Try to find cure that will not harm your body. In the end, the best way may still be the natural way.