Get Rid of Wrinkles AND Your Migraine??
Posted on September 30th, 2011 by Dr. William Franckle
We would venture to bet that anyone who suffers from migraines is willing to explore just about any treatment to obtain relief from the pain. The symptoms of migraine (pain, photosensitivity, and nausea) are keeping 30 million Americans miserable for up to a day or even more. Medication is still considered the only effective solution to conquer these debilitating symptoms, but a plastic surgery procedure has recently been publicized as a revolutionary way to treat migraines. How? Supporters are claiming that the glabellar muscles (muscles between the eyebrows) and related nerves which are surgically removed during a browlift are removing a trigger point which can cause migraines.
It has followed that the non-surgical procedures using the botulinum toxins such as Botox Cosmetic, Dysport, and Xeomin, have also made similar claims in being effective in the treatment of migraines. These popular treatments work to block those same nerves resulting in paralysis of the glabellar muscles. It was only a matter of time before some doctors starting connecting the two.
All of these claims came about by circumstance; patients receiving a browlift or botulinum toxin treatment that had previously suffered from migraines were claiming that their migraines were cured. These patients turned to their doctors for answers as to why this happened. Thus, the connection was made. So far, however, these claims have not stood the test of extensive medical analysis.
So where is allthis buzz coming from? NewBeauty.com performed their own study with 49 migraine sufferers. The patients underwent a Botox Cosmetic treatment followed by a brow lift procedure and found that 57% had their headache symptoms completely eliminated.
That study may have encouraging numbers but this is not in-depth research! It would be wonderful if botulinum toxin treatment is eventually proven to be an effective treatment for migraine sufferers. It is a simple, safe, non-surgical treatment and would likely be well-tolerated by migraine patients. Until then, it is considered experimental and will not likely be covered by insurance. My opinion is to watch and wait. This is currently under investigation by many reputable scientific groups. Until then, we may just have to call the patients in NewBeauty’s study lucky.
NewBeauty.com Article: http://www.newbeauty.com/dailybeauty/entry.aspx?id=2468
