Surgery for Facial Blushing

Facial blushing can be unwanted.

Facial blushing can be an embarrassing condition. Some blushing is normal in response to sun and social encounters. Excessive blushing, however, is embarrassing if it occurs regularly and in normal social situations. If this condition affects you, you might want to look at the pros and cons to having surgery as a corrective measure.

Facial Blushing Characteristics

The characteristics of facial blushing include redness in the face and sometimes the ears and neck. The redness can be uniform across the face or sometimes in spots or blotches, especially in the cheek area. The physical traits are connected with a sudden feeling of heat or flushing in the face. This feeling is not affected by the ambient temperature.

Causes of Facial Blushing

Both psychological and physiological causes are associated with facial blushing. The psychological causes are associated with nervousness and shyness. You may blush when you feel embarrassed or criticized. Feelings of insecurity and uncertainty also cause facial blushing. Physiological causes are connected with sudden vasodilatation, or widening of the blood vessels, of the face. Facial blushing can also be connected with hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating throughout the body.

Surgery for Facial Blushing-ETS

Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy, or ETS, is a surgical operation performed on people who suffer from the symptoms of excessive blushing. ETS surgery is a complicated process that essentially interferes with the workings of specific nerve fibers involved with vasodilation and excessive sweating of the body. The surgery effectively cuts off the ability to sweat and blush in the facial area.

Side Effects

The side effects to ETS are significant and are a reason that the surgery is not recommended by many doctors. Compensatory sweating, where the body sweats in other places to make up for lack of sweating in the face, is common. Horner's syndrome with drooping eyelids and sunken eyes is also a problem. Decreased heart rate, dry and flaky facial skin and heat intolerance have also been reported.

Recommendation against ETS

Dr. Rafael Reisfield, an expert in hyperhidrosis, said he does not perform ETS when facial blushing and sweating is the only problem. He states on his website that more time is needed to determine the benefits of such a surgery, and most patients who have received the surgery express a high level of dissatisfaction. Other more conservative forms of treatment are recommended before even considering surgery.

References

• Sweaty Palms: Facial Sweating and Blushing
• Hyperhidrosis: Facial Blushing