Well, kingflab, I think you are correct on both counts. There definitely are people who are happy with results of their surgery, but it's not possible to know for sure what percentage of patients are in that category over the long term due to the lack of long term data. There are a few studies that followed patients for several years. Those studies found that satisfaction diminished dramatically with time.

Anyway, the purpose of my last post was two-fold. First, I thought you should be aware that when a patient gets recorded under the "satisfied" column, it doesn't necessarily mean that patient has mild side effects. Many "satisfied" patients have quite severe side effects, but simply believe the surgery was a good "trade-off". Second, I believe it's more important to consider the likelihood you, personally, would regret the surgery (based on your lifestyle) rather than the overall population of patients. Although it has never been studied, I believe that the rate of regret is much, much higher for people who are physically active, outdoorsy, live in hot climates, have jobs that require physical labor, etc.

One final note. Be careful regarding using the "grass must greener on the other side" argument to convince yourself it is worth the risk. Your belief that hyperhidrosis on the trunk will be easier to deal with than on your hands and armpits is not true. I personally had to change careers because I could no longer do my job. My job required me to wear a suit, travel and give presentations. You think underarm stains are embarrassing? Try explaining why your dress shirt is completely soaked on front and back after having to give a presentation in a slightly stuffy room. Everyone sweats more under their arms than other places because there is a greater density of sweat glands at that location. On the other hand, it is totally freakish to have huge sweat stains on the middle of your back and chest because virtually no one sweats excessively in those locations...except for people who have had sympathectomy.

I wish you luck with your decision and hope you find some way to deal with your condition that doesn't involve knives and nerves.

Take care.

Edited 2 times by csmess Feb 11 08 8:47 PM.