Med Spa

BOTOX® for Migraines

The popular wrinkle treatment Botox® has also been found effective in treating chronic migraines. Dr. Rappaport offers Botox® injections at his SUBTLchange®s clinic for migraine sufferers and has seen ample evidence that the treatment can reduce the number and severity of migraines and significantly improve the patient’s quality of life. With quick, minimally-invasive injections, Dr. Rappaport is able to identify the specific nerves responsible for the headaches and relax the muscles that press on those nerves and lead to the debilitating pain of a migraine.

Botox® for migraines offers the following benefits:

  • Botox® has been proven in clinical studies to reduce the number of days patients suffer migraines
  • Treatment is minimally invasive and discomfort during the procedure is minimal
  • Botox® may offer long-lasting results, with patients able to go 12 weeks between treatments

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BOTOX® for Migraines Houston

How are Botox® Treatments Performed?
Each person’s migraines are due to specific causes, which vary from one patient to the next. In some cases, muscles in the face or neck may tighten and impinge on sensitive nerves, resulting in severe headaches. The question is, are certain muscles triggering your migraines?

Dr. Rappaport uses Botox® as a diagnostic tool to locate a patient’s migraine trigger points. Once they are found, Botox® injections can prevent muscles from squeezing on sensitive nerves and causing migraines. By injecting Botox® in strategic areas at regular intervals, Dr. Rappaport is also able to rule out muscles that are not contributing to a patient’s headaches.

What is the Recovery Like?
There is no downtime after Botox® injections, so you can return to work and regular activities as soon as the procedure is over. You may have mild swelling or redness around the injection sites, which will subside within a few hours after treatment. Patients may experience relief within approximately two weeks after the first set of injections while some may require a second treatment session before the injections have the desired results.

Dr. Rappaport Answers Questions about Botox® for Migraines

Who is a candidate for Botox® injections?
Most of my migraine patients are referred to me by their neurologist. These are patients whose migraines are not significantly improved by medications. We don’t offer a cure, but we can offer migraine patients a better quality of life.

When will I see results from Botox® treatment?
Some patients will see improvement in the frequency and severity of their migraines within two weeks after treatment. Others will not see any improvement until a second treatment session, which generally occurs 24 weeks after the first.

Are there studies to show Botox® is effective in treating migraines?
Yes. In research presented at the 2003 American Headache Society Annual Meeting, 80 percent of migraine patients treated with Botox® every three months said their headaches were less frequent, less intense or both. Wwhile 60.5 percent reported good to excellent pain relief. Clinical trials presented by Botox® manufacturer Allergan found that Botox® treatments can prevent as many as nine headaches monthly.

How often will I need treatment?
Botox® injections are administered every 12 weeks to keep the muscle relaxed and avoid compression on the sensitive nerves.

Is there a more permanent way to reduce migraines?
Once we identify the trigger sites for migraines, we may have the option of performing surgery to permanently affect those trigger sites and reduce the number of headaches or even eliminate them entirely. My friend and colleague, Dr. Bahman Guyuron published a double-blind study in 2009 that found when migraine triggers were accurately identified, up to 80 percent of patients that underwent surgery saw significant relief from their migraines.

Dr. Rappaport has been using Botox® to treat migraines for many years and through his experience, he has become very adept at identifying migraine trigger points and administering proper treatment. If you suffer from chronic migraines and medication and other treatments have not provided significant relief, contact Houston Center for Plastic Surgery at 713-790-4500 to see if Botox® might be a good option for you.

Houston Center For Plastic Surgery

6560 Fannin Street, #1812
Houston, Texas 77030

Phone: (713) 790-4500
Fax: (713) 793-1299
Email: info@hcps.cc