We spoke to a Botox Clinic in Boston, on 5 ways it can change your life.
Botox was first approved for use almost 30 years ago and since then, it has become almost a staple for cosmetic enhancement, despite it being derived from a toxin. Today, over 50% of its revenue is derived from its more uncommon uses for treating all kinds of things from uncontrollable twitching eyelids to premature ejaculation. Following are just a few of the most interesting maladies treated by Botox, which might change your life for the better:
- Overactive Bladder: Dr. Linda Brubaker of the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine performed a study with Botox and incontinence and found that Botox appeared to lessen the number of bladder leaks experienced by participants each day. She reports that about 70% of the women she treated with Botox reported three leaks per day, compared with an average of five when they began the study.
- Disorders of the Eye: Alexa Nicholls Costa, who co-owns a Botox clinic in Boston called LexRX tells us, One of the first approvals for Botox was to treat a disorder called strabismus, which is when the eyes do not line up in the same direction. This is otherwise known as “crossed eyes”. In addition, it is also used to alleviate uncontrolled blinking, twitching eyelids, and muscle spasms of the eye, as well.
- Chronic Migraines: Many patients swear by Botox for reducing the number of migraines they suffer. It started in 1992 when a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills noted that patients who came in for Botox for wrinkles also kept reporting that they suffered from fewer headaches. Today, patients who receive Botox for migraines get 31 injections for effects that last about three months.
- Severe Neck Spasms: In 2000, FDA approval was granted for Botox to be used to treat a disorder called cervical dystonia, even before Botox was approved for use to diminish frown lines. Cervical dystonia is characterized by severe neck pain, muscle spasms, and abnormal head posture.
- Excessive Underarm Sweating: Botox was approved to treat excessive underarm sweating back in 2004 after doctors began to notice that patients treated for facial spasms with Botox started sweating less. It was then found that Botox could be a successful treatment for a condition called severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis – also known as excessive underarm sweating.
While all of the above uses are FDA-approved, there remain several other uses for Botox that are not. Some of the conditions that Botox could treat, though not FDA-approved, include depression, abnormal heartbeat, premature ejaculation, painful sex, cleft lip scars in infants, and severely cold hands.