A mini facelift is being hailed as a cure for migraines. The facelift is combined with Botox and is said to help cure some patient’s migraines.

Current migraine drugs do not work for everyone. Botox is one option for migraines but is not a permanent solution and also does not work in all cases. However one cosmetic surgeon has discovered that by combining a forehead lift with Botox can help relieve the pain of migraines in around 90 percent of patients, with few side effects.

Dr Guyuron discovered that by removing the supercilli muscle in the face the major muscle involved in frowning seemed to stop or lessen migraines in many of his patients. Dr Guyuron believes that migraine headaches are caused by nerves in the face, neck and/or scalp being irritated by overly tight muscles so by loosening up these muscles, the pain can be cured.

The procedure involves having Botox injected into the supercilli muscle, freezing it and releasing some of the pressure on the surrounding nerves. A small cut is then made into the muscle and a small part is removed. The gap in the muscle is filled in with fat, normally taken from the upper eyelid. This cosmetic procedure not only tends to ease migraine headache pain but also smooths out frown lines giving the patient a more youthful look.

Dr Guyuron has started some tests on the procedure by comparing this surgery against a dummy treatment where patients are operated on but their muscles are left intact. Initial results show that 57 percent of patients who had the full operation have been fully cured after a year compared with just 4 percent on the dummy operation. 83 percent on patients who had the full operation said that after a year, their migraines had fully stopped or the pain was significantly less.

Other doctors have been working on similar procedures and have reported similar results.