What’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Botox? Wrinkles? Fine Lines and crow’s feet? Those may be the most popular uses for this wonder drug these days, but if you thought Botox injections were just for smoothing wrinkles and achieving a more youthful look, think again. At Indiana Plastic Surgery, Dr. Robinson is able to use Botox to treat a wide range of medical conditions as well.
At First Glance: Where Botox Began
The very first uses the FDA approved botulinum toxin type A for had nothing to do with wrinkles or the signs of aging. Initial applications were actually related to eye conditions. In the 1980s, ophthalmologist Dr. Alan B. Scott discovered that the injectable serum appeared to be an effective treatment for certain eye syndromes. He was right, and in 1989, the FDA approved botulinum toxin for the treatment of two eye-related disorders: Strabismus (sometimes referred to as “crossed eyes”), a visual defect that occurs when the eyes do not properly line up with each other, leading to serious vision problems, and blepharospasm, which is defined as involuntary spasms of the muscles around the eye, causing uncontrollable blinking, squinting, and closing of the eyelids.
Solving A Real Headache
Botox is the first and only FDA-cleared preventive treatment for Chronic Migraine. Unlike aspirin or other common remedies that are taken after the pain has already set in, injections with Botox can prevent headaches and migraines before they start. Adults with 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more, can see their number of headaches and migraines slashed by eight or nine days in the average month. Since 2010, more than 500,000 people with Chronic Migraine have found relief with Botox injections. If you or someone you love suffers from this type of debilitating pain, you know that fewer days spent in agony is no small feat.
Always “On the Go”
According to the Urology Care Foundation, as many as 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women live with symptoms of an overactive bladder (OAB) in the United States. If you are one of those sufferers, you understand how an OAB can affect every aspect of your life, getting in the way of your career, relationships, social life, and even your sleep. Botox can help. Injections with Botox can alleviate urinary incontinence by relaxing the bladder and allowing it to store more urine. It can also address other OAB symptoms such as the strong need to urinate with leakage, urgency, and frequency in adults. Botox treatment for an overactive bladder typically lasts nine months.
Don’t Sweat It
Sweating is a necessary function that regulates your body’s temperature. However, some people can have overactive sweat glands that produce much more sweat than the body normally needs for cooling. When clinical strength antiperspirants and other topical medicines don’t work well enough to curb excessive sweating, treatments with Botox can temporarily block the chemical signals that stimulate the sweat glands in the armpits, resulting in a drier, happier you.
Spasms and Stiffness
Botox is also prescribed to treat severe, uncontrollable spasms and stiffness in the neck muscles called cervical dystonia (CD). CD can make those muscles tighten, forcing your head into an abnormal and painful position. Botox is injected directly into muscles to alleviate the pain and help them relax.
Botox at Indiana Plastic Surgery
Whether you’re looking to turn back the clock on wrinkles and fine lines or you’re suffering from one of these chronic conditions, Dr. Robinson can help. He and his experienced staff at Indiana Plastic Surgery, can guide you through the process of understanding if Botox treatments are right for you. Schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Robinson today.