Botox gives chronic migraine relief

Lady receiving Botox injectable treatment to the forehead 
Statistics show that 70,000 people in Scotland regularly suffer chronic migraines. For Gillian Patterson, Botox has provided her with much-needed relief.
Since being a university student, Gillian has suffered from excruciating migraines which meant she was forced to lay in bed for two or three days with the curtains closed, the lights off, paralysed by pain. The migraines also meant she was unable to hold a conversation or even think.
Speaking about those experiences, Gillian says: “Lots of things go through your head at times like that, such as ‘I’ve had enough. I can’t take any more.’ But most of the time it was like a mental paralysis.”
Gillian, now 40 from Jordanhill in Glasgow was first diagnosed when she was 20, forcing her to give up her hopes of graduating in French and business computing.
Her first migraine struck after a kidney transplant operation. The World Health Organisation lists migraines as one of the world’s 20 most disabling conditions.
Gillian has now been given fresh hope from Botox. Usually associated with anti ageing- the treatment is now being offered as a cure to migraines. Tests showed that patients who suffered from 19.1 days of migraines a month, suffered 8.2 less following Botox treatment.
Gillians first treatment included 33 injections to the head, neck and shoulders, paralysing the muscles so pain signals can’t pass to the brain.
Since then, the amount of drugs she needs to control the migraines has been halved and has now undergone her second treatment. Gillian is safe to have three treatments per year.
 
This News is Brought to You Courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Mansfield and Southlake, TX

1. Retinoid creams

A host of over-the-counter products claim to help fight wrinkles. One option: topical retinoid (derived from vitamin A) creams; look for retinol in the ingredient list. The SkinCeuticals line has products with retinol in them to help fight existing wrinkles . 

2. Over-the-counter peptide creams

Creams containing peptides—short snippets of linked amino acids—can be useful for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, but they haven’t been shown to work as well as retinoids. As skin ages, it loses collagen and becomes wrinkled and thin; creams containing peptides are supposed to encourage the skin to make new collagen. Peptides are found in a variety of products, from the inexpensive to the very expensive. There are many SkinCeuticals product that can help.

3. Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion uses tiny, fine particles or a very hard diamond-tipped wand to slough off cells from the top layer of the skin and encourage new skin growth. The procedure is usually not painful, though it can be uncomfortable, and it doesn’t require an anesthetic or recovery period; skin heals quickly. But you may require multiple procedures spaced a few weeks apart.

4. Laser skin resurfacing

Laser resurfacing uses high-intensity light to zap and improve the look of wrinkles and scars by tightening loose skin. The effect of your treatment and recovery time vary. There are lasers that can be superficial or intermediate and deep. You may see redness from one day to two weeks, depending on how aggressive the treatment is. 

5. Chemical peels

Used to address mild acne scars, age spots, dull skin texture, skin discoloration, or wrinkles around the eyes or mouth, chemical peels remove the outer layers of the skin and encourage the growth of new, smoother, more evenly colored skin. Depending on the peel’s intensity—which can range from superficial to medium to deep—it may cause reddening and peeling that can last up to several weeks.

6. Botox

Injections of Botox —which also contains botulism toxin and  is approved by the FDA, can paralyze tiny facial muscles, smoothing out the appearance of lines or wrinkles. The cost of Botox will vary depending on location and doctor. The effects of injections may last three to six months, depending on whether you’re a repeat customer.

7. Filler injections

Injections of fillers containing hyaluronic acid can fill in lines and wrinkles and add volume to skin. Hyaluronic acid is a “naturally occurring sugar that gets lost when you age,” and injecting it into wrinkles effectively plumps them up. Juvederm Ultra Plus XC and Juvederm Voluma are the newest and best.

8. Cosmetic surgery

Lifting the skin on the face, neck, eyelids, and forehead can give a tighter appearance. What were once traditionally open procedures—with larger incisions—can now often be done endoscopically, with smaller incisions strategically placed in difficult-to-detect areas, such as under the hairline. The effects of cosmetic surgery are somewhat permanent. 

9. Try prevention

If all this sounds extreme, remember that you can start immediately to prevent any further damage: Start wearing sunscreen every day. Lifetime exposure to the sun can wreak serious havoc. When people were younger…they didn’t think the sun caused any bad signs, but now they’re really feeling the effects of it 30 years later.
This information is brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Mansfield and Southlake, TX

The history of BOTOX®


BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a type of medicine that is used to treat patients with certain neuromuscular conditions. One of the most researched medicines in the world, BOTOX® treatment is approved for medical uses across the world.

Since its FDA approval for aesthetic treatment in April 2002, the neurotoxin Botox has gone from a somewhat controversial treatment to a celebrity-endorsed wrinkle remedy. Injectables have become the new norm in cosmetic treatment. According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the most common nonsurgical procedures last year were Botox and hyaluronic acid fillers.
It’s come a long way from its origins as an FDA approved treatment for two rare eye muscle disorders (strabismus and blepharospasm). The original name, Oculinum, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but shortly after Allergan secured that first FDA approval in 1989, the product was rebranded Botox. Once physicians realized that Botox could treat wrinkles, the rest was history.
Botox reached nearly $1.6 billion in sales last year, attributing 51 percent to therapeutic uses and 49 percent to aesthetic uses. It became so successful that it gained its first FDA-approved wrinkle-reducing competitor in 2009-the sincerest form of flattery in the business world. However, Botox continues to evolve as new uses for the product are discovered. Used off-label, it treats a host of concerns such as crow’s-feet, down-turned corners of the mouth and bands on the neck. You may be surprised to learn that it has also been used, off label, to aesthetically treat enlarged pores, droopy eyebrows, a pointy chin and a droopy nose tip. Additionally, it’s an FDA-approved treatment for medical conditions ranging from chronic migraine to excessive sweating. Next up: the company is seeking FDA approval for the treatment of crow’s-feet.

1950s- Scientists discover that botulinum toxin can reduce muscle spasms.
1960s/1970s- Studies explore botulinum toxin as a treatment for strabismus (crossed eyes).
1988- Allergan researches other medical uses of botulinum toxin.
1989- Allergan introduces BOTOX®, the first botulinum toxin approved by the FDA to treat blepharospasm (eyelid spasms) and strabismus.
2000- FDA approves BOTOX® therapy for cervical dystonia to reduce the severity of abnormal head position and neck pain.
2002- FDA approves BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA), the same formulation as BOTOX®, with dosing specific to moderate to severe frown lines between the brow.
2004- FDA approves BOTOX® for severe underarm sweating when topical medicines don’t work well enough.
2009- 20-year anniversary of BOTOX®
2010- FDA approves BOTOX® therapy for increased muscle stiffness in elbow, wrist, and finger muscles with upper limb spasticity.

2011- FDA approves Botox for detrusor overactivity associated with neurologic condition
2013- FDA approves to improve symptoms of overactive bladder in adults
BOTOX® is the first medicine to be studied and then approved by the FDA specifically for the prevention of headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older.
Compared to other cosmetic procedures, BOTOX® offers patients many benefits with its convenience, effectiveness and affordability. The entire procedure takes about ten minutes to perform, and patients can go home and return to regular activities immediately after. The results of BOTOX® injections are visible within the next few days.
At Dr. Bishara’s office we have weekly Botox specials in our Mansfield and Southlake office locations.  Please call our office at (817) 473-2120 to find out more about our weekly Botox specials or visit our website at www.MarkBisharaMD.com.

Clown lips like those that doomed the careers of Melanie Griffith and Meg Ryan have given way to a more natural-looking but still youthfully plump mouth.

Trout pouts, aka fish lips, once were so ubiquitous, they got an entry in the Oxford Dictionary: “The result of aggressive augmentation of the lips with filler.” Another definition: totally 1990s. “I remember the moment when patients stopped asking for bigger lips in the mid-2000s,” says dermatologist Peter Kopelson. “Jocelyn Wildenstein scared the fish lips off everyone!”
Fish lips might be extinct, but in Hollywood, maintaining a youthful mouth is hotter than ever. There simply are more effective and conservative ways to do it.
PHOTOS: Trout Pouts: Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan Among Famous Faces With Plumped Lips
Plastic surgeon Lawrence Koplin maintains that lip enhancement counters the effects of aging, which include a receding upper lip and tiny lines above the mouth. He also arguably launched trout-pout mania in the late ’80s: “Barbara Hershey came to me when shooting Beaches, and we gave her fuller lips by injecting collagen. But she didn’t tell me her character would wear red lipstick!” Hershey became a media train wreck for her supposed vanity, and such actresses as Melanie Griffith and Meg Ryan donned career-inhibiting trout pouts.
STORY: Britney Spears Reveals Lip Injection Treatments
“Fillers don’t move,” says Koplin, “but fat transfer doesn’t make the lips stiff. Now we under-correct for a natural look. We lace a bit into the vermilion border for a little more fullness.” His other new, more restrained method involves injecting two drops of Botox above the lip line on each side: “It relaxes the muscles so they can roll out without making them bigger.”
Dermatologist Harold Lancer is credited with ending the trend. “I tried to bring attention to how silly they looked,” he says. “Fillers with hyaluronic acid can be reversed, but Radiesse, Sculptra and silicone can’t. After hearing about permanent damage, the public lost their demand.”
STORY: How Hollywood Stars Manage Their Assets on the Red Carpet
These days, instruments for injecting are more sophisticated. “We put in a tiny cannula, which leaves a small thread of filler, a fraction of previous volumes,” says Lancer. “Now directors and stylists are warning actresses not to get too altered.” Adds Kopelson: “Thank God we’re living in more tasteful times. Extreme anything looks wrong, unless you’re Rihanna.”
This News is brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Mansfield and Southlake, TX


Michelle Obama, who turned 50 over the weekend, isn’t ruling out using plastic surgery or Botox in the future.
“Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves,” the first lady told People magazine in an interview hitting newsstands Friday, her birthday. “Right now, I don’t imagine that I would go that route, but I’ve also learned to never say never.”
Her message to women is to be healthy. Mrs. Obama says she has never missed a health checkup, including mammograms and Pap smears. She’s also had a colonoscopy.
“I don’t obsess about what I eat, but I do make sure that I’m eating vegetables and fruit,” added Mrs. Obama. “And as everyone knows, I do exercise.” Her “Let’s Move” campaign to reduce childhood obesity rates through the combination of exercise and healthier eating enters its fifth year next month.
Her workouts have also evolved from weight-bearing and cardio exercises to include things like yoga that she says will help keep her flexible.
Asked whether she has peaked at 50, Mrs. Obama joked that being first lady is “pretty high up.” She said she’s always felt that her life is “ever-evolving” and she doesn’t have the right to “just sit on my talents or blessings.”
“I’ve got to keep figuring out ways to have an impact, whether as a mother or as a professional or as a mentor to other kids,” the first lady said, noting that daughter Malia, now 15, will be in college when she and President Barack Obama leave the White House in January 2017. Daughter Sasha, 12, won’t be far behind.
“At that point in life, whoa, the sky is the limit,” Mrs. Obama said.
Despite her nonchalance about her upcoming milestone, Mrs. Obama noted that some things can still make her feel older. “Well, there are those times when your staff tell you they were born the year you were graduating from college. It’s like, really? Really? That hurts,” she said, laughing. “But I don’t feel that much differently than I did when I was younger.”
President Obama told People that he’s “always in awe” of his wife as she approaches her 50th birthday.
“Michelle is actually more beautiful now than when I met her,” he said. “And I think she’s wiser.”
Beyonce and Stevie Wonder rocked the White House at a star-studded, late-night dance party celebrating first lady Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday, which was planned by Barack Obama.
At 50, she’s got some of the most envied arms, a killer wardrobe, and quite the social life.  Happy 50th Birthday, Michelle Obama!
This News is Brought to You Courtesy of Dr. Mark Bishara and The Paragon Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Mansfield and Southlake, TX