Most people are aware that Botox and other neurotoxins are used to treat and prevent lines and wrinkles. But did you know that there are other therapeutic uses for Botox?
A common use for Botox is to treat headaches. Often headaches and migraines can stem from tension in the muscles in our faces and necks. When injected into certain muscles in
specific patterns, this tension is prevented without disturbing vital movements. I have personally had great success with headache and migraine relief/prevention just from injecting my frontalis and temporalis muscles. Everyone is different and so are the components of their headaches. Other's may need more extensive protocols. Starting with a few areas of injection and then expanding overtime can be a great option to decipher which areas play a role in an individual's headaches and how aggressive to be with treatment.
Another use for Botox is to treat TMJ or discomfort from clenching/grinding one's teeth. Most people who experience TMJ don't even know they are clenching or grinding their teeth. Some people even clench and grind while they sleep! By reducing movement in the masseter, temporalis, and pterygoid muscles it can immensely help with discomfort associated with those movements.
Masseter muscles alone can be treated to create a slimming effect in certain individuals. If a person clenches or grinds their teeth, or in certain instances if they merely have strong or large masseters, the lower half of the face and the jawline can look bulky. By limiting this muscle's activity, it will overtime weaken and shrink down. In some cases this may take some time. However, as you can see from the image to the left, in some cases the result is noticeable more rapidly. This will depend on genetics and how active an individuals muscles are on a daily basis.
Botox has become more popular in recent years for treating hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. The most common areas of treatment are underarms and palms of the hands. In this case, injections are made more superficially to target the sweat glands rather than the muscle itself. Hyperhidrosis protocols can be very beneficial, but often require large amounts of units resulting in higher cost of treatment.
As you can see, Botox has a wide array of benefits. But often people don't know about all of these uses. It is important for practitioners to be having conversations with their patient's to see if any of these issues are of concern and if Botox could play a role in making a positive difference in bothersome symptoms. As a patient, never be afraid to bring up questions and concerns to your provider. If a simple conversation could lead to better quality of life, then it's worth having!