CFS B 2 2010

Laser operation to stop sweating

Cosmetic surgeons are offering a new 60 minute operation to stop excessive armpit perspiration for good, at a cost of £3,500.

The Laser Sweat Ablation service promises to end the embarrassing problem – known as axillary hyperhidrosis. Surgeon Mark Whiteley, who pioneered keyhole surgery to remove varicose veins ten years ago, is introducing it. His latest procedure involves a local anaesthetic under the arms, followed by a laser, which destroys the sweat glands.

In recent years celebrities, such as Madonna, have had Botox injections under the arms as a temporary solution to sweat patches.

Mr. Whiteley said; “Everyone sweats to lose heat and we sweat from all over our bodies.” “However, sweating is not evenly distributed over the body. People sweat more from some areas than others.” Indeed the armpits account for one per cent the body’s surface area, but excessive sweating here causes social embarrassment and can damage clothes. Hyperhidrosis is not a good condition to bear. It can affect people socially and emotionally.

The surgery has shown to have a side effect known as compensatory sweating. Stopping sweating from this small area redistributes this sweat to the other 99 per cent of the body. Therefore the total amount of sweating from the body does not change, but the embarrassing build-up of sweat under the arms is cured.

The treatment can only be used under the arms, and cannot be adapted for hand , face or feet.

GLOSSARY:

keyhole surgery = procedimento cirúrgico em que o cirurgião insere os instrumentos através de pequenos cortes feitos no corpo do paciente.

patches = “marcas”

In paragraph 4, we can infer that people get embarrassed because their clothes