All but 10% of patients who seek relief by undergoing laser surgery for sleep apnea say they snore less and their apnea episodes have decreased. Not a bad percentage for a surgical procedure, right?

The problem is the old symptoms (sleeping difficulties, insomnia, etc.), eventually, return after one or two years – and become worse. In fact, out of all apnea surgeries using lasers (what surgeons call “laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty”), only one third have been truly successful.

Lasers do make it convenient for both surgeons and patients since, compared to a scalpel, it makes it easier to take out soft tissue from the throat and palate. As far as taking out soft tissue goes, lasers are great.

Unfortunately, scar tissue tends to form after surgery. This scar tissue is what blocks the airways anew. What’s worse is these scars are harder than the original soft, fatty tissue!

But undergoing laser surgery for sleep apnea should be a last resort when other, less invasive and irreversible, treatments have failed. Also, success rates for other surgical procedures, other than uvulopalatoplasty, may be different.

However, if the reason you’re considering surgery is because your CPAP or BiPAP apparatus has become so uncomfortable maybe adjusting the air pressure or changing your headgear is better than going under the knife – whether it’s laser-assisted or not.

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