Surgical Treatments

Hyperhidrosis (sweating) is defined as sweating from the hands, underarms or face, and it can literally run down the surface of the skin or drip from the skin, soaking clothes. It can be a major embarrassment to the individual in public, or under any stressful situation. In some cases, it may interfere with writing, because the sweat running off the hands soaks the page and blurs the ink.

Facial sweating can also be associated with facial blushing, where the face turns scarlet at the slightest provocation. Thus can be extremely embarrassing and inhibit the desire for public exposure.

The Internet has become a valuable tool in bringing the problems of hyperhidrosis and facial blushing to the fore, and we are discovering that there are many, many people who suffer from this problem on a daily basis. It is interfering with their lives by preventing them from accomplishing everyday tasks and getting into any stressful situations.

Fortunately, there is now a reasonably simple solution to the problem, known as ETS (endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy) and ETS-C (endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy by clamping).

Laparoscopic (abdomen) and thoracoscopic (chest) equipment has been available for many years. However, it wasn’t until the late 80's, when television cameras and monitors with improved resolution were incorporated into this technique, that it became popular. Experience was gained removing diseased gall bladders, and now it is unusual to have your gall bladder removed by open technique. There are a number of thoracoscopic procedures that can be performed using this technology, and ETS and TS-C are among the most popular, because they are highly effective with little post-operative discomfort or complications.