Is Sympatectomy (ETS) an Effective Way to Cure Facial Blushing?   by Terry Brennan

in Health / Skin Care    (submitted 2010-11-01)

Surgery should be your last option to cure your facial blushing. Surgery for facial blushing is invasive, and is called Endoscopic Throacic Sympatectomy, or ETS. Here, the surgeon will sever or remove your sympathetic nerve which will permanently end the blood flow to your face, thus ending your facial redness. This procedure has plenty of side effects and you will still experience redness on other parts of your body, like the neck. If the sympathetic nerve just gets clamped, and not severed, you can reverse the procedure especially if you find out that the side effects are not worth the lack of facial redness in your face.

Surgery should only be considered as a last resort. You should first try medications or psychological treatments because they can be more effective, less expensive and have fewer side effects than a surgery would.

There are many reasons for facial blushing. It is best to identify what causes your facial redness because there will be different treatments for each one. If yours is physiological, then medications will be first option. If it's psychological, which is often the most common reason why people blush, and then psychological treatment using hypnosis will be your best bet. That's why before anything, you should set an appointment with your doctor to have a comprehensive examination to diagnose your facial blushing problem.

Should you resort to surgery, there will definitely be side effects. There will be side effects which will just be mild or temporary but some can be severe or permanent which you have to weigh before you choose surgery. There are also the common complications such as bleeding and swelling while the invasive procedure is being done. Infection and incision sites will also require you topical and oral antibiotics. You might also have to endure heat intolerance. On a hot day, you may experience fainting or illness. If you live in a hot place, then you should explore other options first.

The ETS not only ends facial blushing but also can be used to curb excessive sweating in the palms. The side effect is that you'll sweat more than normal in other places on the body. The likely areas will be your chest, underarms, and back. The problem is aggravated because it is severe and no anti-perspirants can help you with your case.

Another possible complication is Horner's Syndrome. You could have a drooping upper eyelid, constricted pupils, or an elevated lower eyelid. Most doctors would have you go through with hypnosis, and cognitive behavior therapy like meditation and visualization to curb your facial redness. If that does not work, then medications will follow. They will only recommend ETS as a last resort. Should you come to that stage, make sure you do your homework, and figure out the risks and whether it makes sense to take those risks.

About the Author

Terry Brennan is the editor of www.TreatmentsForBlushing.com, which provides articles about the effectiveness of sympathectomy for blushing control and other facial blushing topics.