Use of Botox for scar elimination
Everyone knows that Botox helps us in getting rid of wrinkles. A somewhat less known use is to eliminate excessive sweating. Then I reported one study that found that Botox could cure depression. Well, while we wait for Botox to make my coffee in the morning, a new study at Mayo Clinic has found that treating a facial wound in the early healing phase with botulinum toxin (or BOTOX) improves the appearance of a scar later. This is an important finding since scar is a major reason why people are reluctant to go under the knife.
“Our findings show that botulinum toxin offers an additional tool in preventing the formation of bad scars,†says Dr. Holger Gassner. “It will give us the option to optimize healing of forehead wounds in the first place and possibly allow us to avoid later surgeries to improve the scar’s appearance.â€
The researchers found that an injection of Botox early after the occurrence of a wound paralyzes the region, creating a smooth surface in which the wound can heal. This prevents muscle movement from wrinkling the wound site, allowing for a flat surface for healing and leaving a smoother final scar. The same process also could work if an unsightly older scar is surgically removed, and then Botox is injected into the wound at the time of the scar revision surgery, according to Dr. Gassner.
But please don’t ask your plastic surgeon yet to try it on you since this specific use for Botox is not approved by the FDA. More testing will be needed before the FDA let that happen in the United States.
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