Preventive treatment of migraine can be done using Botox injections (botulinum toxin). The treatment of migraine with Botox is recommended to people who suffer from frequent migraines (several times a month). The treatment of migraine with Botox presents the advantage of reducing the consumption of painkillers. Prior consultation with a specialist can define the causes of headaches and establish the need for a preventive treatment of migraines.
Symptoms and causes of migraines
What is a migraine?
Migraines are painful and disabling headaches that affect about 10% of the world population. It is a complex disease that can have many causes and behave differently depending on the patient.
Migraines are intermittent and pulsatile. They are felt in the form of burns, tingling or crushing sensations, and are manifested by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound. Seizures are more or less frequent depending on the individual (from a few crises in a life to a dozen crises per month). Their generally last between 4 and 72 hours.
It is a mild but very painful and debilitating condition known to 1 in 10 people.
Migraine patients usually experience their first headache between 10 and 40 years of age. In 70% of cases, a family history can be observed.
In about 20% of cases, migraines are accompanied by sensory disturbances (migraine with aura) such as visual disorders (ophthalmic migraine) or neurological disorders (tingling, pronunciation difficulties, motor gene). eyes).
Factors causing migraines:
Several factors can contribute to the appearance or amplification of migraines:
- Stress,
- Diet (too rich meals or, on the contrary, prolonged fasting),
- Excess of alcohol,
- Lack of sleep,
- Overwork,
- Sudden changes in temperature or light,
- For women, the beginning of the menstrual cycle and the intake of contraceptive pill.
Because of the large number of possible causes and the diversity of symptoms affecting people prone to migraine, a preliminary consultation with a specialist is needed to define the causes of the headache and the appropriate treatment.
Two preventive treatments for migraine:
Dr. Cédric Kron proposes two types of treatment of migraine: botulinum toxin injection (Botox) and septoplasty (deviation of the nasal septum). This second technique is particularly effective for treating nasal migraine.
Treatment of migraine by Botox injection
Botox injection (or botulinum toxin) has been used for over 20 years, particularly for the treatment of eyelid or hand spasms.
The beneficial effects of Botox in the treatment of migraines were discovered in the 1990s in patients who received a treatment of wrinkles based botulinum toxin and who have experienced a significant decrease in migraine symptoms. Several subsequent studies have highlighted the efficacy of botulinum toxin in the treatment of chronic migraines.
How effective is botox on migraines?
It is known that Botox is not always effective in treating all migraines. Some studies have thus questioned their effectiveness. However, it is scientifically and clinically proven that it can be effective in some patients whose migraine begins in the frontal or temporal area.
Botox is used as a local injection to cause targeted muscle paralysis to reduce expression lines. As part of a preventive treatment for chronic migraine, botulinum toxin can hinder the transmission of the pain message and relax the subcutaneous muscles whose exacerbated contraction may be the starting point of the migraine (trigger zone).
The effects of a botulinum toxin injection being limited in time, it is necessary to proceed with injections at regular intervals for the desired effect to persist, ie every 3 to 6 months.
According to the indications, injections of botulinum toxin (Botox®, Vistabel®, Dysport®, Azzalure®, Bocouture®, ...) can be performed in the affected areas. No anesthesia is needed as Dr. Kron uses extremely fine needles.
Following an injection, mild redness or swelling may occur for a few minutes in the treated areas, rarely more than a half hour. Resumption of daily activities is possible immediately after the intervention without any physical effort too intense.
Contraindications to the injection of Botox:
- Hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin
- Recent intake (within 10 days prior to injections) of aspirin or corticosteroids
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Inflammatory skin diseases that must be treated before treatment.
