As long as he can remember, Jackson resident Mark Kelber had been suffering from excessively sweaty palms.
“I’d have good days when my hands were dry, but anything—heat, caffeine, stress, etc.—could trigger it, and then my hands would be anything from damp to dripping,” shares the 38-year-old iron and construction worker. “It affected my life in every way, from trying to avoid soaking the paper when I was writing something to handling equipment at work or holding my daughter’s hand. I was constantly wiping my hands off all day and it made it embarrassing to shake people’s hands,” he says.
Happily, Mark learned of a relatively simple and quick procedure to address his problem that would prove to be life-transforming.
A Common Problem
“Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, often of the palms, feet, and armpits, is a very common problem that people don’t often talk about because it can be embarrassing,” says Jean-Phillipe Bocage, MD, a board-certified thoracic surgeon at Thoracic Group in Freehold and co-medical advisor of the LungCare Comprehensive Program at CentraState. A disorder with a genetic component that affects an estimated 3 percent of the population, “hyperhidrosis is caused by an overactive sympathetic system, which controls the sweating nerve, and can be triggered by anxiety, stress, and often by nothing at all,” he says. “Commercial creams, antiperspirants, and other products claim to control it, but they’re either only temporary or else they don’t work at all.”
But there is hope, Dr. Bocage notes. “The condition can be easily and permanently addressed by a minimally invasive procedure involving a scope and two small incisions in the chest through which we divide the sympathetic nerve and accessory fibers,” he explains. “The patient can have it done in the hospital and then be home in the same day, along with instantly warm and dry hands.”
After learning how treatable his condition was, Mark had the procedure performed in April by Dr. Bocage and fellow co-medical advisor of the LungCare Comprehensive Program at CentraState, Robert Caccavale, MD. Mark was amazed at how fast and smoothly it proceeded. “I went in that morning and was home by 1 p.m., and within a week, after the incisions healed, I was back in the gym,” Mark says. “Since then, I’ve been completely dry—my armpits and feet, too.”
While Dr. Bocage confirmed that the body may compensate after such surgery and perform the necessary function of losing heat by sweating in other places, such as the small of the back or forehead, “the procedure will avoid the prior embarrassment of where he used to sweat,” he says.
“It’s been a life-changer,” Mark says of the surgery. “Before, my sweaty palms interfered with everything and made socializing difficult, but now my confidence level is even better than before and I’m excited to make others aware of this procedure. It’s opened a million new doors for me.”
“Mark has been extremely grateful for the surgery and feels like a new person,” Dr. Bocage confirms. “We want to promote awareness of the fact that there’s a permanent solution to this common problem that can significantly enhance quality of life.”
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jean Phillipe Bocage or Dr. Robert Caccavale, use our online appointment request or call 866-236-8727.
