Mention Botox and everyone knows what it’s used for. They probably know someone that uses Botox.
In our last article, we talked about how dentists are actually the best suited medical providers to administer your beauty treatments. That’s because there’s a host of other considerations and dangers when it comes to unlicensed Botox providers, and the additional knowledge that they have when it comes to knowing about the face.
While you visit your dentist for your Botox treatment, do you know that in the meantime there are other uses that Botox can potentially be used? In the world of dentistry, Botox can provide unique solutions to problems such as excessive grinding and chewing.
However that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some uses for Botox that we certainly didn’t expect!
- Botox help migraines
For someone suffering from excessive migraines, Botox can help alleviate some of the pain by ‘freezing’ the muscles that cause excessive stress to the cranial area. According to doctors who have experience with medicinal Botox, they think that the drug blocks the sensory nerves that project the pain messages to the brain, as well as relaxing muscles, thus making them less sensitive to an onslaught of pain.
People who receive Botox injections for migraines report the instances of the headaches drop by at least half, if not more, and the headaches are less severe. You can read more about it here.
- Botox can help relieve pain for men with enlarged prostates
While still in the experimental stage, studies are suggesting that men with enlarged prostates can gain relief from Botox, and unlike those who use the injections for wrinkles, headaches or sweat, the relief can last up to a year after the injection, as opposed to only a few months.
To improve problems like urinary tract infections and frequent urination are improved considerably, doctors inject Botox directly into the prostate gland,The side effects that can occur with medication, such as incontinence or erectile dysfunction, are not observed with Botox. Botox is effective as a solution because it reduces the size of the gland, thus improving the flow of urine.
- Botox can correct cross eyes
Another one of the little known Botox benefits is that it can be used to help strabismus (crossed eyes), diplopa (blurred vision) and blepharospasm (eyelid spasms). Without going into too much detail about the muscles in the eye, Botox can help relax eye muscles so that they aren’t working against each other which can help the other eye muscle to heal.
Also known as crossed eyes, Botox has been used to change the position of the eyes since the 1970s, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Botox is injected directly into the eye muscle, relaxing the muscle and causing the eye to refocus. Injections are repeated every 3 to 4 months, though after multiple treatments, the effects last a little longer.
- Botox can help people with bladder issues
For those who experience bladder incontinence, a great reason to get Botox is to control an overactive bladder.
Injecting Botox in the bladder can help it to increase in volume thereby reducing incontinence. A recent study of 381 women at the Duke University School of Medicine showed that regular Botox injections worked better than a surgically implanted nerve stimulator to treat women with severe incontinence. That uncontrollable urge to urinate affects 17 percent of women over age 45 and 25 percent of women over age 75, according to Cindy L. Amundsen, M.D., the study’s lead author.
Each treatment has its pros and cons: The surgical procedure is more invasive and more expensive, though the cost of Botox injections could add up over time and cause more adverse effects. According to the study, Botox participants reported a greater reduction in symptoms and higher satisfaction with the treatment.
“What we have learned from the study is the treatments are both good and it will just help inform physicians and patients who are trying to make a decision between these two therapies,” Amundsen told NBC News.
- Botox reduces excessive sweating
Ask anyone suffering from excessive sweating how they feel and they will tell you about the embarrassment, fear and inconvenience they experience constant. Worse of all, it’s something they can’t help!
In a recent trial, when small doses of Botox are injected into the skin, they block nerves that supply the eccrine glands, which prevents the glands from producing sweat, according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society. The shots are shallow — just below the surface of the skin — and have been shown to reduce underarm sweating by 82 to 87 percent. Results may last up to a year.
In 2004, the FDA approved Botox for treating excessive underarm sweating, though research has shown Botox to reduce sweating in other areas, too. In 2007, a German woman whose right hand would sweat profusely to the point of dripping up to five times a day, received Botox injections in her hand for six months, and the excessive sweating stopped, reports WebMD.
Botox is being researched by scientists and doctors alike for possible uses other than aesthetic purposes. As a non-surgical alternative, it has plenty of practical uses that might be both cost and time-effective for you as a user. If you have any doubts or questions, make a call to your dentist and enquire about how best to solve your problem. You’ll never know if Botox could be the solution you’ve been looking for!
