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Botox, Migraines
Question: Do Botox injections for migraines really work?
Answer: To the skeptics, getting Botox for your headache sounds like getting a nose job for your deviated septum—a convenient excuse for cosmetic work. But according to Dr. Mitch Chasin, Founder and Medical Director of Reflections Center for Skin and Body in New Jersey, "Botox injections for migraine sufferers are not only a real thing, they're often life-changing." Chronic migraines, Chasin explains, occur more than 14 days a month and last for more than four hours at a time. "Anyone who is suffering more than half of the days of their life is experiencing a very real reduction in the quality of their life, but unfortunately, many of the other drugs we have available to treat this type of migraine have awful side effects, like serious brain fog that can leave you forgetting names and drowsiness that impairs your ability to drive." Botox treatment is different: "It inhibits the communication between brain and muscle that tells the muscle to tense up, in addition to inhibiting some of the brain receptors for pain.Really good injectors know how to turn down that communication, rather than mute it all together, which might cause an unnatural look. It involves using a much greater dosage of the agent and injecting parts of the scalp and neck, in addition to the face," says Chasin. Before treatment, he recommends patients seek care from a neurologist to establish the formal diagnosis of migraine and check the experience level of their physician to make sure they're an Allergan diamond-level injector, which means they use a high enough quantity of Botox that Allergan has designated them among the top 1% in the nation.
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From: Harper's BAZAAR US