Would you have surgery to prevent blushing?

Are you a blusher? Photo by Thinkstock.Blushing occurs when extra blood flows into the small vessels below the surface of your skin, but no one really knows what causes it. Also, blushing stinks. I know, because I'm a big-time blusher, and I've spent my life trying to control it with little improvement over the years. I blush when I'm telling a story, I blush when someone calls my name, I blush when I don't know the answer to something or make a mistake, and I blush the absolute worst when someone points out that I'm blushing. You feel a heat creep up over your face, neck and ears, and as much as you tell yourself to stay calm and stop blushing before anyone notices, but it takes time for that redness to subside and by then the damage is done.

Some people say blushing is cute or endearing, and of course it can be. But in professional situations it's awkward and can make you look weak. I remember kids pointing and laughing at my red cheeks and I felt helpless. But now I've discovered there is a way to stop it. Surgery.

According to the Daily Mail a new procedure called Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS) blocks one branch of the nervous system called the T2 ganglion. This involves general anesthesia, a small puncture made next to the breast, and compressing the lung to send a tiny camera into the body to locate the nerve and then destroying it. Most patients can go home after 24 hours and return to work in several days. While success rate is high, one potential side effect is excessive sweating. Uh oh. We'd imagine excessive sweating could be nearly or equally embarrassing as blushing.

Alan Cameron, consultant General & Vascular surgeon at the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, told the Daily Mail that 90% of cases are cured, but the sweating is common. "Nearly every patient gets some degree of sweating, but it is only severe in about one to three per cent of patients. Overall, we find that up to 15 per cent of patients regret having ETS, and unfortunately the outcome cannot be predicted for any individual."

While my blushing is annoying, I suppose it's a part of who I am. Since I'm not one for elective surgeries, I'll still be blushing for years to come and hoping people won't make a big deal of it.

Are any of you Shine readers blushers? I'd love to hear about how you deal and if you hate it when your faces gets red like I do!

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