ETS surgery Side Effects You Need to Know
People suffering from hyperhidrosis may have heard of a surgery called Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS). In EST, the main sympathetic chain that runs alongside the spine, often with the addition of nearby nerve ganglia, are either cut out, burned, or clamped.
ETS may be helpful in treating axillary hyperhidrosis, facial blushing and sweating; however, patients with facial blushing and/or excessive facial sweating experience have higher failure rates. Patients may also be more likely to experience unwanted side effects although this has not been established in a controlled trial or independent study. Generally, ETS is considered a “safe, reproducible, and effective procedure”.
Click Here To Read Our Top 5 Stop Sweating Guide
However safe it is said to be, the very nature of surgery may cause various side effects that have been described by patients as ranging from trivial to devastating. The most common secondary effect of ETS is compensatory sweating. Major drawbacks related to compensatory sweating are seen in 20-80% of patients. Most people find the compensatory sweating to be tolerable while 1-51% claim that their quality of life decreased as a result of compensatory sweating. Total body perspiration in response to heat has been reported to increase after sympathectomy. Compensatory sweating is often a temporary, self-limiting condition.
According to doctors, some degree of compensatory sweating will be seen in all patients who undergo ETS. However, of these the majority will probably accept the compensatory sweating rather than go back to the state of hyperhidrosis. In about 10% of cases, however, the compensatory sweating is so severe that it may necessitate additional medical intervention.
Another fairly well known side effect is gustatory sweating, where the patient’s face breaks out in sweat upon eating spicy or sour foods. This happens to about 10% of all patients who undergo ETS with the degree of sweating varying from person to person. In cases of severe gustatory sweating, once again, medical attention is required.
Among the other hyperhidrosis surgery side effects are: a reduction in heart rate following strenuous physical activity a tingling sensation in the upper arms initial night sweating and weight gain, but in many cases, these are temporary in nature and may disappear on their own. There are also a few recorded cases of loss of stamina and hair fall although these side effects are relatively rare. Additionally, the original sweating problem may recur due to nerve regeneration, sometimes within 6 months of the procedure.
Click Here To Read Our Top 5 Stop Sweating Guide
