We’ve all come to think of Botox and other similar injectable treatments as a way to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. And with good reason. It’s by far the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure, with Botox doctors performing over 7 million procedures in 2017.
However, Botox injections actually began as a treatment for muscle spasms. As such, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the benefits of Botox reach far beyond the cosmetic.
So what can Botox be used for, other than wrinkles? Botox offers a multitude of health benefits that can help those suffering from a wide range of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes incurable conditions.
Keep reading to find out more about the many different uses for Botox.
1. Reduce the Appearance of Wrinkles
Before we get into the less well-known uses for Botox, we’ll start with the most obvious first.
This FDA-approved injectable blocks certain signals from nerves, stopping the contraction of various facial muscles. Relaxing these facial muscles for a temporary period helps reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles.
Younger women also use Botox as a preventative measure alongside great skincare as part of a combined approach to fighting the aging process.
While the eye area and forehead are the most common treatment areas, you can also use Botox for neck wrinkles and laughter lines around the mouth.
2. Lift Drooping Brows
Drooping brows, also called brow ptosis, make those suffering from this condition look unhappy and tired, even if that’s not the case. Although drooping brows can be seen as a cosmetic issue, brows can sometimes droop so much that they interfere with vision.
While surgery may be necessary for patients with severe drooping brows, Botox can help resolve this issue before it becomes a bigger problem. Injecting Botox in the brow causes the brow muscles to relax and can help keep them closer to their correct position.
3. Relieve Cervical Dystonia
Cervical dystonia causes your neck muscles to contract, causing involuntary and uncomfortable twists and turns of your head.
This painful condition, which is also called spasmodic torticollis, has no cure at present. But, just as doctors can use Botox for neck wrinkles, they can use Botox to relax the neck muscles affected by this disorder. Doing so can stop these muscles contracting and in turn, reduces the signs and symptoms of cervical dystonia.
4. Minimize Migraine Symptoms
An incredible 39 million Americans suffer from migraines. If you’re one of them, you may be aware that the many Botox benefits include helping reduce the symptoms of this often debilitating condition.
What you should understand, however, is that Botox can’t stop the migraine itself. So what can Botox be used for here? Botox helps to reduce the symptoms that migraines bring on, such as nausea and sensitivity to light. So, although you will still be in pain many find the migraines easier to deal with.
5. Stop Eye Twitching
As one of the original uses for Botox was to stop muscle spasms, it stands to reason that Botox can offer a solution for annoying and sometimes painful eye twitches.
Botox treatment helps to relax the muscles around the eye, stopping them from contracting. As well as offering relief from this persistent problem, Botox also ensures that it doesn’t interfere with the patient’s vision.
6. Cut Excessive Sweating
Of all the many uses for Botox, this is probably the most well-known after wrinkle reduction.
Hyperhidrosis, which refers to excessive and unpredictable sweating, affects around 180 million people worldwide. As such, there are many people interested in exploring the possibility that Botox could offer them some relief from this uncomfortable and embarrassing problem.
In the same way that Botox can prevent brain signals from reaching certain muscles, it can also stop messages reaching sweat glands. Patients who experience excessive sweating in localized areas such as the feet or armpits benefit the most from using Botox as a hyperhidrosis treatment.
7. Treat Bell’s Palsy
Bell’s Palsy causes sudden weakness or even paralysis in your facial muscles. It can appear as though half of your face is drooping and often makes smiling and closing both eyes difficult.
Depending on how the patient presents and what they prefer, a Botox doctor has two choices when using Botox for Bell’s Palsy. They can administer Botox to the affected side of the face to help relax tight and sometimes painful facial muscles, and to prevent facial tics.
Or, they can administer Botox to the non-paralyzed side of the face. This helps to relax movements on the dominant side and restore facial symmetry.
8. Provide Relief for Enlarged Prostate
By age 60, over half the male population have an enlarged prostate. This condition, although common, is uncomfortable and causes a variety of problems related to urinating.
But injecting Botox into the prostate can provide relief for men with enlarged prostates for up to a year. This then means that they experience fewer urinary tract infections and other complications that can arise as a result of an enlarged prostate.
9. Help with Incontinence
In the same way that Botox provides relief for men with enlarged prostates, one of the uses for Botox is to help those suffering from incontinence due to an overactive bladder.
Botox injections work to help this problem by relaxing the overactive bladder muscles that can lead to leakages.
The Incredible Benefits of Botox Injections
As this list shows, the benefits of Botox are as far-reaching as they are impressive.
Some will dismiss Botox as nothing more than a cosmetic procedure. But it’s clear that its discovery has offered new hope for countless numbers of people suffering from a range of painful and uncomfortable conditions.
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Thanks for listing the benefits of botox treatment. My mom, who is 56 years old wants to get her drooping brows lifted since it bothers her. It’s great to know that injections help the brow muscles to relax and keep them intact in their rightful positions. With that being considered, I shall then find a reputable clinic that offers cosmetic procedures.
It’s great to hear that Botox can treat excessive sweating in localized areas. I tend to sweat a lot on my forehead, and it makes me very self-conscious during the summer. It may be worth a try to get some Botox in that area to both decrease wrinkles and help with the sweating.
I didn’t realize that Botox could help with localized sweating. I have been considering getting Botox treatments this winter to prevent forehead wrinkles. Since I also have a big problem with forehead sweat, this may be the perfect treatment for me.
I never knew that botox injections could help with drooping eyebrows. I’ve always wanted to do something about this issue but thought it required surgery or something like that. I’m so grateful for your advice on how botox helps the brow muscles relax and keep them closer to their correct place.