Nontraditional uses for Botox - Plastic Surgery - Brief Article

Botox, a purified, botulinum A toxin used to block nerve impulses and temporarily paralyze muscles that cause wrinkles, is safe and effective for nontraditional uses in facial rejuvenation, according to a study co-authored by Alan Matarasso, associate professor of plastic surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. It can also be utilized in conjunction with procedures such as forehead lifts, facelifts, and eyelid surgery; to combat migraine headaches; and to eliminate hyperhydrosis (excessive perspiration).

Traditionally, plastic surgeons have used Botox on patients who desired to diminish dynamic wrinkles on their neck or top third of their face nonsurgically. Dynamic wrinkles, caused by years of facial movement, include frown lines (vertical lines between the eyebrows), forehead creases, and crow's feet. Botox can be used for the central face and mouth to get rid of wrinkles underneath the lower eyelid, along the nasal fold, and underneath the lower lip, and vertical creases above the upper lip where lipstick may run.

"The new facial uses for Botox tackle problem areas that aging patients have complained about, but for which we never had a nonsurgical remedy," Matarasso explains. "With Botox, patients get rid of wrinkles in a five-to-10 minute procedure. Since there is little or no discomfort, patients can literally return to their normal routines immediately following the procedure."

Another new use for the drug is the chemical brow lift, which involves injecting Botox into areas between and at the outer corners of the eyebrows. "As people age, eyebrows tend to lose their arch, becoming more horizontal," he notes. "A chemical brow lift can recreate a more-arched, youthful brow, producing similar results to a traditional brow lift, but without the surgery."

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