Unlike normal sweating that occurs during exercise or in hot weather, hyperhidrosis causes uncontrollable sweating that can happen when you're resting, in cold temperatures or during everyday activities. 

For many patients, this excessive sweating is so severe that it drips from their hands or soaks through clothing, interfering with daily tasks like writing, typing or shaking hands.

Understanding hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis can significantly affect every aspect of your life. Many patients describe feeling isolated, anxious and self-conscious in social and professional settings. 

The constant worry about visible sweat marks or clammy hands can lead to avoidance of social interactions, difficulty in romantic relationships and limitations in career choices.

Over time, hyperhidrosis can lead to the following physical complications:

• Itching and inflammation 
• Body odor 
• Cracked or peeling skin on your feet 
• Skin infections from constant moisture 
• Social anxiety and reduced quality of life

Hyperhidrosis can be embarrassing and can take a toll physically and emotionally, which is why effective treatment from a trusted provider is important. 

If you experience excessive sweating and have tried conservative treatments, such as prescription antiperspirants, medications or Botox injections without success, hyperhidrosis surgery, called thoracic sympathectomy, is an excellent option.

While this procedure is most effective for hyperhidrosis of the hands or hands/feet combination, our surgeons will assess your hyperhidrosis symptoms to determine your candidacy for surgery.

Thoracic sympathectomy procedure

Thoracic sympathectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed in the comfort of our state-of-the-art surgical facilities.

This advanced technique requires specialized training and precision, and our team has performed hundreds of these procedures with exceptional outcomes. In fact, as a teaching academic health system, many of the community surgeons performing this procedure were taught by surgeon Ali Mahtabifard, MD, a leader in thoracic sympathectomy. 

Under general anesthesia, our surgeons begin by making two small incisions (5 mm) on the side of the chest. Next, the chest cavity is slightly insufflated with CO2 gas and a fiber-optic camera is inserted, providing live video feed to monitors within the operating room. Using these monitors, our surgeons meticulously dissect out and cut the segment of sympathetic nerves that is responsible for excessive sweating. This precise approach minimizes complications and ensures optimal results.

Recovery from thoracic sympathectomy

As an outpatient procedure, most patients can return home within several hours of the surgery with an immediate and significant reduction in sweating – gaining back their quality of life. Many patients report life-changing results, finally experiencing confidence and freedom in their personal and professional lives.

The minimally invasive approach used by our surgeons ensures:

• Greatly reduced postoperative pain
• Minimal scarring
• Faster postoperative recovery
• High patient satisfaction rates

Regular physical activity and work can be resumed as soon as a few days after surgery.

Meet our team

The UCI Health team offers unmatched expertise. Our surgery team is the most experienced and highly trained in Orange County and beyond, using the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Dr. Ali Mahtabifard is a nationally recognized expert in thoracic sympathectomy with extensive experience performing this procedure. He has successfully treated hundreds of patients suffering from hyperhidrosis and is committed to advancing the field through research and education. Mahtabifard regularly trains surgeons and surgical residents in minimally invasive techniques, sharing his expertise to improve patient outcomes across the region.