Palmar Hyperhidrosis

What is Palmar Hyperhidrosis?

Primary hyperhidrosis is the excessive production and localized sweating unrelated outside temperature or diseases (hyperthyroidism, obesity, cancer treatments, etc..) Due to overstimulation of the sympathetic system, patients may experience extremely heavy perspiration. It occurs mainly on the palms of the hands, and axillary area (underarms) but can also affect the arms, face and soles of the feet.

Hyperhidrosis of the hands (palmar) is a common problem (0.75% of the population), causing great inconvenience to the person who suffers, both in their social relationships (fear of shaking hands when greeting for example), as well as occupational (secretaries, artists, architects, doctors, etc..) It may cause some patients to have a major disruption in their self-esteem or develop a social phobia. It is frequently associated with axillary hyperhidrosis, facial and facial flushing, and minor phenomena such as swelling of the fingers.

How to treat Palmar Hyperhidrosis?

By treating the sympathetic nerves responsible for the phenomenon by cauterization of the sympathetic chain on each side of the chest, we can cure palmar hyperhidrosis in virtually 100% of patients, as shown by multiple research studies.

Although this concept has been known for many years, having to do major surgery on both sides of the chest made it impractical for widespread use. The advent of surgical techniques of minimally invasive surgery or surgery with the aid of video cameras, including VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopy), made this procedure (Thoracoscopic sympathectomy) much more feasible, and it became the treatment of choice for the cure of this condition.

This is usually performed as an outpatient procedure.This treatment, although obviously not exempt from the risks inherent in any surgery, is safe and well tolerated by most patients. The total duration of surgery is 40 to 60 minutes.

Symptomatic relief is immediate and total: Patients hands will feel dry when they wake up from anesthesia and will remain so. The success of the procedure is virtually 100% for hyperhidrosis of the hands.Postoperative pain is moderate and can be managed with oral analgesics. Most patients can return to work, exercise, and other activities in less than a week.