Botox Could Do Much More Than Eliminate Wrinkles
Botox may be useful for more than simply reducing wrinkles. As Temple Daily News of Bell County, TX, reports, Botox treatments have been found to greatly reduce headaches due to the injection’s ability to stop muscles from contracting.
Karen Williams, nurse practitioner and director of the headache clinic at Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center in Temple, has been working closely with about 250 patients suffering from severe headaches, anxiety, and depression.
One patient in particular who has shown great improvement is Conjevaram Phillips, a veteran combat medic who served multiple tours in Iraq from 2009 to 2014.
Phillips has long battled PTSD, which causes him extreme stress, anxiety, headaches and back pain.
However, he has been seeing Williams for the past two years to receive a combination of treatments, including Botox injections, acupuncture, and cranial electrotherapy stimulation. His condition has improved so much over that time that he has been able to significantly reduce the amount of prescription medications he uses.
“The stress level comes down. It’s amazing and that’s why I never miss an appointment,” Phillips said. “I used to have headaches every day. I’ve completely stopped taking the Maxalt.”
Williams says that she sees many cases of patients with headaches that stem from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.
The Botox injections are administered every 12 weeks, spaced at multiple points around the cranium.
Williams has even received strong support from Temple’s neurology department who have also begun using acupuncture, cranial electrotherapy stimulation, and Botox treatments.
“Botox is approved for the treatment of chronic migraine headaches,” said Dr. Janis P. Campbell, Dermatologist at Laser Rejuvenation Clinic & Spa of Calgary. “In our hands patients may find headaches totally relieved or they may have reduced frequency or severity. Many patients also find reduction of tension headaches when they receive botox for their frown lines. Other uses for botox include treatment of excess sweating, most commonly on the underarm region, hands, feet or forehead, as well as alteration of scarring following surgeries in areas of high mobility.”
Reducing headaches is not the only hidden secret botox holds. According to Teen Vogue, Botox has also shown promising results in ridding acne.
The idea of using the botulinum toxin to treat acne stemmed from its use to help control hyperhidrosis, an excessive sweating condition caused by nervousness and stress, by blocking nerves that control sweat glands.
A small patient study conducted by a plastic surgeon in Chicago claimed that his Botox patients experienced a reduction in oil production and pore size, two factors that can lead to acne.
