Plastic Surgery for Migraines?
July 31, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Some plastic surgery researchers believe that surgical treatment for migraines is safe and effective, even while eliminating some signs of aging at the same time.
I’m skeptical. However, I still wanted to report on this unique study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Researchers tested the idea that migraines are caused when a person’s trigeminal nerve branches are irritated. Thus, the treatment would involve removing these muscles, an easy and permanent fix.
The study was double-blind and placebo-controlled. The researchers, a plastic surgeon and two neurologists, found three common trigger sites and randomly assigned 75 patients to real or fake surgeries that would deactivate the migraines triggers. The operation is similar to a traditional forehead lift.
The results: One year after the surgeries, 57% of patients in the real surgery group said they had complete elimination of migraines, but only 4% in the fake surgery group reported the same.
Personally, I have to wonder if the patients in the sham surgery group knew they didn’t really get the operation. However, I’m no scientist, so judge for yourself!
Would you consider plastic surgery for migraine headache relief?
(Image via flickr Migraine Chick)
