Social Anxiety and Facial Blushing - ETS surgery and Miradry

JaneS3 · ‎17-05-2020

I’m a woman who has suffered from facial blushing for as long as I can remember, becoming particularly severe from my early-teens onwards. This has contributed to severe anxiety and depression throughout my childhood and adult life that has affected all aspects of my life. For me, nothing was more important for my overall health than eliminating my blushing. Especially when years of CBT, therapy and anti-depressants haven’t offered any long-term solution.

I had ETS surgery done on just my T2 nerve. The sympathectomy is done keyhole, leaving two small incisions just under your armpit. So far, my results with ETS have been great. Part of me wishes I had more of my sympathetic chain cut (T3/T4), as I still get a heart-rate rise in social situations, and a slight blush in a small patch at the top of my left cheek, but ultimately I’m very, very happy. It’s totally surreal to go from having severe blushing multiple times per day to just not having it at all. It’s been very illuminating to see how ‘regular’ people live. When I exercise now my face stays completely unflushed and almost sweat free which is amazing.

I had Miradry done for my armpit sweating which was also quite bad, particularly every time I got anxious. They say Miradry is more effective than sympathectomy for sweating. My results from Miraday were great. I still sweat a bit, but what I love is how it has killed almost all the large sweat glands in my armpits (which produce your BO). It’s been an 80% reduction at least in sweating and the odour I get is very manageable.

All in all, if you suffer from facial blushing or sweating that severely impacts your social life, self-esteem and career then I recommend looking into these procedures. It's a lot to go through to overcome these issues, but so much better than a daily pill or expensive, ineffective therapy (in my opinion). Some people find the compensatory sweating they get after their ETS surgery made them regret it, as well as other possible side effects, so it really depends on how severe your issues are vs the potential for side effects and I’ve been lucky to have had no major side effects.

Anyway, peace and love to any fellow sufferers.
If you have any questions I’ll try to get back and answer them.

Just Sara · ‎17-05-2020

Wow! Thanks for this information Jane 🙂 I'm sure people with similar issues will surely benefit from your experience and knowledge.

I'm not sure what % of the population suffers these symptoms, but what you've written would definitely give them food for thought.

I also go very red faced when exercising or playing sport; have done since my teens. People often comment about it asking if I'm ok. I'm 60 now though, so no point worrying as my sporting days are over.

I hope the anxiety/depression has eased up since being repaired. Sounds like your a happy camper by how you've expressed yourself.

So again, thankyou for your insight and caring.

Sending kind thoughts your way;

Sez

EmeraldCove · ‎12-07-2020

Oh wow I am really interested to hear more about your experience with ETS surgery. I haven't come across many people who have had it in Australia. I would like to have the surgery for blushing but its been hard finding info around that as most people seem to have it for sweating. I am very fair and blush so easily, its been holding me back in a variety of settings, particularly professionally. I have to say I am quite afraid of the side effect of compensatory sweating from the surgery though.

Just Sara · ‎12-07-2020

Hi and a very big welcome Emerald! 😀 It's lovely to meet you...

Unfortunately the original poster hasn't been back on the forum since mid May so it's unlikely she'll see your reply. Yes, this issue's a rare one so I'm sorry we don't have more info for you at this time.

You're welcome to browse and hopefully find something of interest. We're a friendly bunch here so please join other threads, drop in to the Café and say hello, or create your own introduction thread for members to find you.

I hope all goes well and the forum's a positive experience.

Kind thoughts;

Sez

JaneS3 · ‎15-08-2020

Hi Emerald, I'm sorry for the late reply, it did slip my mind to come back and check in for any questions. I went to a doctor, he was really great and empathetic. This was done entirely under medicare with a 6 month wait. There are other clinics that offer ETS in Victoria, though they are private and would cost about $5000 total from memory? The private doctor I spoke to in Melbourne said ETS has about a 90% success rate for blushers, though the estimate of the doctor I went to was significantly lower (possibly the private Dr was trying to sell the procedure to me! Though he did have about 30years experience doing ETS, whereas the doctor I went to is primarily a vascular surgeon and ETS is a less common surgery for him, so maybe the private Dr simply has more data). I personally haven't had any compensatory sweating, and I have always considered myself a big sweater. I think that compensatory sweating is meant to be more severe for men over women too. I did have a treatment done for my underarm sweating, though compensatory sweating is usually a torso thing. Personally, I'd rather sweat than blush. But no one can say how you as an individual will react and it is a risk you have to be willing to take before you go down the surgery path. The doctor I went to does the ETS surgery only 1 side at a time, so you have an opportunity to not have the second side done if you get bad side effects or minimal benefits. I found that my first side was so successful that the 3 month wait between my surgeries was a struggle - one side of my face blushing, the other not, it was a weird effect that wasn't very convincingly hidden with makeup. I hope this helps, I'll try to check in again down the track.

Bee89 · ‎13-05-2021

Hi Jane, I know you probably won’t see this but how are you going a year on from surgery? Is the blushing still gone? Thanks 😊

Doc23 · ‎24-07-2021

Hi, I had My first ETS surgery in 2007 after suffering a lifetime with facial blushing. I also suffer from palm sweating but that did not worry me so much. The facial blushing has been extremely debilitating and really holds me back in my social and working life. I was teased at school because of it and fear public speaking or the spotlight on me. The operation only worked on one side of my face so now when I blush or exercise one half of my face sweats and goes red while the other side is dry and pale. A much worse outcome than before the surgery. Due to this failed operation I had the surgery again 12 months later as the surgeon said if we clip the nerves further down that might fix the side where the operation didn’t work. This was unsuccessful. Deeply regretting the surgery and reading up on the number of unhappy patients due to the side affects and the fact it was banned in some countries due to the risks, I decided to have it reversed. I was told I could have the surgery reversed because my nerves were clipped and not cut. However, I was 4 years down the track by this stage the nerves had been completely destroyed and had no chance for regeneration. I now know for any chance of a successful reversal the clips need to be removed within hours or a few days. I suffered a pneumothorax during the reversal and the surgeon has damaged the nerves to my left eye so I have constant pain in my left eye and suffer from headaches as a result. The surgery has also affected my cognitive ability and I now struggle to concentrate and retain information. Having this surgery has been the worst decision of my life with the side affects and results now much worse than the original problem I initially had the surgery for. Every day is a battle and I beat myself up for making the decision to have the surgery. For anyone thinking of having the surgery I would strongly advise they thoroughly research the procedure and it’s side affects and really question are the risks and results greater than the underlying problem. If I could wind the clock back and not have had the surgery I would. Thanks for taking the time to read this and allowing me to express my thoughts, I hope this might help someone considering ETS surgery.

Dlaw80 · ‎23-02-2023

Hi Jane,

Can I please ask which doctor did you go to in Melbourne? I'm considering to get ETS surgery due to my condition which has been over 3 years now. I have tried everything from medications, laser, botox injections, Chinese meds, acupuncture, creams, ointments and more. I understand the side effects with CS and I'm willing to take my chances and have done heaps of research and spoke to many doctors. I would like to speak to a few doctors who is experienced with ETS before deciding who to go with.

I've heard you need to quit smoking for 6 weeks before the surgery, as I'm a smoker. Was there anything else you need to prepare for before getting the surgery?

Hope you see my message. Thanks.

Ritsuko · ‎29-04-2023

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your experience and recommendations on facial blushing and sweating treatments. I was just curious about your experience with the ETS surgery and Miradry. It's great to hear that you had positive results and that it has improved your overall well-being. I'm new to this forum, and I'm really glad to have found such a helpful and supportive community.

Rotorhead · ‎06-08-2023

Hi Dlaw80,
Hopefully you haven't yet gone through with ETS surgery as there is a lot of information you need to know that doctors don't warn you about. The first is that the success rate for facial blushing is extremely low. Secondly, you are going to sweat uncontrollably from the nipple line down, including your back, chest, groin, bum, legs and feet. It is horrendous. Your thermoregulation system will also be disabled which means you will have an intolerance to heat, plus you will have other health issues with your autonomous body functions (all the stuff that runs automatically in the background). The best thing to do is see the results of people who have actually had this surgery. Just do a search on ETS surgery in Facebook and join the ETS group and then you can chat directly with members and ask them questions. It is also interesting to note that many of the side effects from this surgery start to occur 5+ years down the track.