Before treating migraines with Botox, make sure you have an experienced doctor

Q. My friend and I both have migraines. My friend has been getting Botox injections for migraines for over a year. She looks weird and sometimes says she feels like she can’t keep her head up because her muscles behind her neck are really weak. I would like to try Botox but worry that I would have the same reaction. What should I do?

A. Using Botox to treat migraines has been around for more than 20 years. While the Food and Drug Administration approved in 2010 the use of Botox to prevent chronic migraines in adults, many of the early practitioners of Botox knew this drug worked for headaches. In my experience, I’ve had patients who’ve said they’ve had fewer headaches while being treated with Botox. Medical research has also shown Botox to be effective in treating migraines.

Push to the future and now we have practitioners who have no aesthetic insight treating people with migraines and Botox. And with studies concluding large amounts of Botox are required to treat headaches, some doctors have overdone it, resulting in patients developing droopy-looking faces or feeling that they can’t hold their head up.

These symptoms can be mitigated if you find someone who can inject Botox with the skill of an aesthetic physician and a physician who can treat migraines with Botox.

Muscles of the facial and neck area do not need to be paralyzed to be treated effectively for migraines. By doing a minimalist technique, patients can get nice aesthetic results along with effective migraine headache control.

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com

This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 11:40 AM.