Migraine Cure Found with Plastic Surgery

By Mohamed Taki - Medical Research Editor | October 12th, 2012

Finding relief for migraines in a self-enhancement plastic surgery is like hitting two birds with one stone: looking good and feeling better!

A new study suggests that plastic surgery has the potential to cure migraines.

Those who have experienced a migraine are familiar with a severe, painful headache that is preceded by signs such as flashes of light, blight spots, nausea, vomiting and tingling in the arms and legs. The excruciating pain can last for hours on end or even days.

An estimated 26 million Americans—about 10 percent of the population-- suffer from migraines, according to Migraine Research Foundation.

Migraine ranks in the top 20 of the most disabling medical conditions. Many researchers believe that migraines are caused by irritation of an area of the head called the trigeminal nerve branches.

The study found that some of the muscles, or migraine triggers exist around these nerves. A traditional forehead lift or eyelid lift can relieve the painful irritation and reduce forehead wrinkles at the same time.

Dr. Bahman Guyuron, chair of the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, broke a new ground in cosmetic surgery by pioneering a new surgical technique to relieve irritation of the trigeminal nerve that primarily causes migraine.

"A surgeon's wife had a forehead lift and came for a follow-up with me," Dr. Guyuron said. "She told me she was not only happy with the way she looked, but she hadn't had a migraine for the previous six months."

"I thought it was a coincidence, but another patient told me the same thing," said Guyuron.

After investigating 314 patients who had undergone forehead lifts over the previous decade, he found that nearly 85 percent of patients underwent decompression surgery had a 50 percent reduction in migraine.

There are four common trigger points on the face and four less common ones, Guyuron added. Most of them are on the forehead, temple, back of the head and behind the eyes.

He also notes that each trigger point has a different mechanism and reason for nerve irritation, “we have developed a surgical technique for each trigger.”

Other facial treatments such as Botox injections renders migraine relief, as well. “We put two and two together and designed a surgical procedure to help these patients,” Guyuron says.

More: Botox and Migraines

The surgery is usually operated on an outpatient basis and lasts about 45 minutes to an hour for each trigger point to be deactivated.

Patients suffering from migraines will find great relief in a Botox, forehead lift or eyelid lift— facial enhancing method to cure migraine.

To learn more about plastic surgery, find a plastic surgeon in your area.

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