Apr. 24, 2001 (Arizona Central) - Anything can set off a blusher.
Attention. Mistakes. Criticism. Praise. Even the fear of blushing.
A blush may look sweet and charming to some, but for chronic blushers the
embarrassment of wearing their emotions on their faces is often mortifying and unbearable.
"I don't go out, it's too embarrassing," said 26-year-old Lynn Storoy of Goodyear. "I go to church every other week and that's about it."
A "severe blusher" by her own admission, Storoy said her condition has not only set her back socially, the red-hot curse has interfered with her career.
Storoy has never sought help.
"I don't think it would change the situation."
But other chronic blushers have scoured the planet looking for relief, turning to everything from makeup and medication to dietary restrictions and therapy. The most desperate have even turned to surgery to stop blushing.
The surgery is known as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy and involves severing nerve fibers of a patient's sympathetic nervous system, which is part of our involuntary or "autonomic" nervous system. The involuntary nervous system controls breathing, heart rate, digestion, sweating and blushing.
Barrow Neurosurgical Institute of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix is one of just a handful of U.S. medical facilities that offer the operation, which was first done in Sweden 10 years ago. Dr. Curtis Dickman, a neurosurgeon at Barrow, has performed about 300 endoscopic thoracic sympathectomies, although he has done it far more often for hyperhidrosis (sweaty palms) than for blushing.
"It's a very reliable way of treating facial blushing as well as sweating on the face and scalp," Dickman said.
While the patient is under general anesthesia, two or three small incisions are made just below the underarm, between the ribs. One of the incisions is used to insert the endoscope to see inside the chest, and the other incisions are used to insert instruments used to perform the actual operation.
The operation costs $6,500 plus hospital costs and takes 60 to 90 minutes (although the actual surgery is over in 10 to 15 minutes). Medical insurance usually covers it. Side effects do occur. Half of ETS patients notice increased lower body sweating, according to Dickman. About a third will notice a curious reaction known as gustatory sweating (sweating prompted by certain tastes and smells). The most serious side effect, occurring in 1 to 2 percent of patients, is Horner's syndrome, in which an eyelid may droop and a pupil becomes permanently constricted.
Dr. Glenn Tanita, a psychologist with the Banner Health System in Phoenix, recommends people concerned about blushing first look for less invasive solutions, such as biofeedback techniques.
"Biofeedback allows patients to control blood flow, brainwave activity and muscle tension," Tanita said.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is another approach to treating severe blushers. This kind of psychotherapy teaches patients to change their behavior by recognizing faulty thinking patterns.
"We find that the blushing response is very common among those people who have social anxiety," said Phoenix psychologist Dr. Gerald S. Mayer. "Their fear of blushing is as disabling as the actual blushing."
Stress management is another treatment blushers have tried. Phoenix yoga instructor Mary Beth Markus recommends learning yoga that focuses on deep concentration and becoming centered.
"Breathing techniques also can help you get better control," Markus said.
Dr. Danielle Sink, an internal medicine specialist at Acacia Internal Medicine in Phoenix, said that when her patients complain about blushing, she always looks for medical causes first. Caffeine and food allergies have been known to cause blushing in some individuals.
"Heat and sunlight may also set it off," she said.
Sometimes a simple change in diet can help. Medications like Paxil that lessen social anxiety also may work.
You can learn more about endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy by going to the Barrow Web site at www.stopsweating.com .
