By Nasrin Mani, M.D.
Migraines remain one of the most poorly understood conditions in medicine. Although we understand many of the mechanisms by which migraines occur, we still don’t’ understand what actually causes them, although we do understand several of the events that can trigger migraines in sufferers.
One of the potential triggers for migraines is muscle tension in the head. BOTOX has become an accepted treatment for the condition because it relaxes the muscles in question to reduce the frequency and severity of migraines among sufferers for whom muscle tension is a major trigger.
The main problem with BOTOX injections for migraines is the same as the problem with BOTOX® Cosmetic: the results are temporary. So plastic surgeons are experimenting with forehead surgery for migraine relief.
So far, the results are good. In at least one study, nearly 90% of patients had at least partial relief from surgery five years later. However, there remain many barriers to the procedure becoming widespread:
- Few surgeons seem interested in performing the procedure. A survey about the topic sent to 3500 surgeons yielded only 200 responses, and only about 60% of respondents said they would be interested in performing the surgery if an appropriate patient were referred to them.
- Fewer still know how to perform the surgery–most responding to the survey said they didn’t know how
- Only a very small number of surgeons have actually performed the procedure: 18% of respondents
Therefore, although the results of the surgery seem promising, it seems unlikely that it will become a widely practiced procedure any time in the near future.
BOTOX, however, remains a proven, successful treatment for reducing the occurrence of migraines. To learn more about this procedure, please contact La Jolla Cosmetic Laser Clinic in San Diego.