Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraines. In August, news of a surgical “cure:” in a double-blind study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, more than 80 percent of patients who underwent surgery in one of three “trigger sites” significantly reduced their number of headaches. More than half of reported a “complete elimination” of headaches compared with about 4 percent of the placebo group.
The surgery in question is the classic forehead lift, a cosmetic procedure to smooth furrowed brows. Could this cosmetic operation could relieve migraines and turn back the clock in one fell swoop? The possibility has migraine specialists – and sufferers - intrigued.
Because some migraines are caused when sensitive nerve branches are squeezed and irritated by muscles, deactivating those muscles through surgery could bring prolonged relief. Using BOTOX for migraines, for those same muscles — when paralyzed with Botox injections — eases headaches in some patients for roughly three months. Forehead lifts might result in a longer-lasting, perhaps permanent, alleviation of pain.
(Note that conclusive research on Botox as a treatment for chronic headaches is not yet ironclad. Allergan, Botox’s maker, is pursuing the approval of Botox as a treatment for chronic migraines.)
Many headache specialists emphasize that migraine surgery isn’t applicable to most sufferers. Suitable candidates are those who endure frequent migraines and have failed more tried-and-true methods of controlling their headaches
Also, note that the classic forehead lift for cosmetic effect differs significantly from the surgery for migraine sufferers. The latter removes frown muscles more thoroughly and entails padding nerves with fatty tissue.
Migraine surgery varies according to where the patient’s trigger sites are: forehead, temples or back of the head. It’s unclear whether or not the migraine sufferers whose pain had disappeared a year post-operation will remain headache-free for life.
Could forehead lift surgery also ease migraines permanently? All of this is still in the testing phase. We’ll keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Safety is...a real MediSpa
In 2006, a woman receiving wrinkle-filler injections began having a grand mal seizure. The woman was fortunate: she was in a medical office, with a doctor and staff equipped to help her.
Another woman in Raleigh, N.C. was not so fortunate. She scheduled a “photo-facial,” but during the treatment, the laser was set too high. The woman insisted the treatment was painful, but the aesthetician continued. This woman was left with oozing blisters which sent her to the emergency room. Instead of a smooth complexion, the results was deep scars and white spots where burns had permanently destroyed her pigment...and she spent more than $10,000 for treatment, which was not covered by health insurance.
Many cosmetic procedures—Botox, wrinkle fillers, laser facial treatments and more—are being performed in places called “medi-spas.” Fact is, a medispa can be anything from an area within a dermatologist’s office to a storefront at the mall that offers Botox along with manicures and massages. Those “non-medical” medispas may be putting you at risk.
And there are no federal regulations mandating who can and cannot perform cosmetic procedures and no laws to guarantee truth in advertising. It’s up to you to do research.
According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, 45 percent of dermatologic surgeons reported an increase in the number of patients coming in for corrective treatments after a cosmetic procedure performed by a non-physician. And not every MD is a qualified expert in facial rejuvenation procedures. You want a specialized physician familiar with skin and with facial anatomy: a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons. You want to put your face in the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon surrounded by qualified staff and a completely equipped and modern medical facility. Anything less is risky business.
Another woman in Raleigh, N.C. was not so fortunate. She scheduled a “photo-facial,” but during the treatment, the laser was set too high. The woman insisted the treatment was painful, but the aesthetician continued. This woman was left with oozing blisters which sent her to the emergency room. Instead of a smooth complexion, the results was deep scars and white spots where burns had permanently destroyed her pigment...and she spent more than $10,000 for treatment, which was not covered by health insurance.
Many cosmetic procedures—Botox, wrinkle fillers, laser facial treatments and more—are being performed in places called “medi-spas.” Fact is, a medispa can be anything from an area within a dermatologist’s office to a storefront at the mall that offers Botox along with manicures and massages. Those “non-medical” medispas may be putting you at risk.
And there are no federal regulations mandating who can and cannot perform cosmetic procedures and no laws to guarantee truth in advertising. It’s up to you to do research.
According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, 45 percent of dermatologic surgeons reported an increase in the number of patients coming in for corrective treatments after a cosmetic procedure performed by a non-physician. And not every MD is a qualified expert in facial rejuvenation procedures. You want a specialized physician familiar with skin and with facial anatomy: a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons. You want to put your face in the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon surrounded by qualified staff and a completely equipped and modern medical facility. Anything less is risky business.
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