Almost 8 million Americans chose Botox® Cosmetic and other botulinum toxin type A products for aesthetic treatment in 2019. That’s more than five times the total of the top five cosmetic surgeries done in the same year. Botox relaxes overactive expression muscles in the face, smoothing your skin in a relaxed and natural way, taking years off your appearance. It’s safe, effective, long-lasting, and requires no downtime after treatment.
However, Botox became a cosmetic treatment secondarily. The medication was first developed as a way to treat muscle-related vision issues. The team at Alpha Internal Medicine in Fayetteville, Georgia, specializes in the aesthetic use of Botox Cosmetic for their patients. However, there are other surprising uses for this versatile medication. Listed here are six other treatments and benefits provided by Botox.
Some cases of urinary incontinence stem from unwanted contractions of muscles surrounding the bladder. When you lose control over these muscles, you may suddenly feel the need to urinate and you may be unable to hold back the stream. This could occur even shortly after you’ve already urinated. Botox injections into the muscles responsible for these urges can interrupt the condition for a period of months, giving you security and peace of mind.
The crow’s feet beside your eyes are a primary target for Botox Cosmetic injections. Aesthetics patients who also suffer from migraines were perhaps the first to notice the connection between their facial injections and the reduction in both frequency and severity of their migraine symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Botox for the treatment of patients with chronic migraine issues.
While the ability of Botox to control muscle contractions is the heart of its aesthetic and therapeutic uses, it has another medically useful property. Hyperhidrosis, commonly known as excessive sweating, commonly affects the hands, feet, and armpits of those with the condition. Hormones in these areas create the overabundance of sweat, but Botox can block the release of these chemical messengers.
Muscles in your neck can also be prone to unwanted spasms that create a painful twisting of your head to one side, forward, or backward. While cervical dystonia is a rare condition, it can’t be cured, and though sometimes it resolves spontaneously, that remission period generally doesn’t last. There are few treatment options for the condition besides surgery, so Botox is a blessing for those people affected.
Spasticity refers to a muscle tone abnormality where they become tense and resist movement. A tense muscle is in its contracted state, and as you’ve seen, Botox excels at relaxing contracted muscles. Spasticity accompanies conditions such as:
Botox is now FDA approved for spasticity in patients as young as two years old.
First approved in 1991, Botox was originally developed to treat eye problems caused by muscle contractions that interfered with the patient’s vision. Strabismus is the medical term for crossed eyes, while blepharospasm describes uncontrollable twitching or blinking of an eyelid. Botox relaxes the muscles responsible for both conditions, leading to relief that lasts for months.
Contact Alpha Internal Medicine by phone or online to schedule a Botox Cosmetic session or to investigate any of the other uses for this remarkable medication. Botox may help to relax more than your spasming muscles. Make an appointment today.
