Migraine is an acute headache that may be accompanied by other symptoms such as malaise, nausea, vomiting and even sensitivity to light or sound. In the general population, prevalence data place it at 12% of the world’s population, with 18-20% in women and 5-6% in men. According to data from the Spanish Association of Patients with migraines and headaches, the number of migraine patients in Spain is around five million.
Of these, more than one and a half million suffer more than a dozen migraines a month, and have to live with the symptoms, thus preventing the patient from enjoying a good quality of life. However, only 40% of those affected are correctly diagnosed.
The causes of migraine
The main cause of migraine is genetic, and it is inherited by predisposition. However, there are external factors that can trigger migraines, such as stress, menstruation in women, changes in the rhythm of sleep…
Botulinum toxin to eliminate migraines
At the beginning of the new millennium, it was discovered almost by chance in the United States that by treating patients’ facial wrinkles with botulinum toxin, some of them stopped having migraines. Since then, much research has been done, and it is estimated that seven out of ten sufferers who have botulinum toxin injected between the eyebrows will have a significant reduction in migraines.
The treatment of migraine through botulinum toxin consists of relaxing the pressure on the migraine trigger points in the skull, such as the temporal, nasal and frontal nerves. To do this, Botox must be injected in at least 31 points on the head and neck using a technique that follows the distribution of the pericranial nerves. According to statistics, more than 35% of patients experience complete relief from attacks, and almost 60% of cases see a significant reduction in migraine attacks.
Migraine microsurgery
This microsurgery is based on the same principle as botulinum toxin treatment. While in the toxin treatment, muscles and nerves were blocked by injections, in microsurgery these muscles are modified by superficial surgical cuts, which prevent the connection between them.
It will be known which nerves and muscles are affected thanks to the selection process, in which the previous injections of botulinum toxin will try to reduce the migraines. If eight weeks after the injections, the patient has noticed a significant improvement in migraine symptoms, surgery is performed to remove the corrugator muscle. In this way, microsurgery solves the disadvantage of the Botox procedure, which is not permanent over time.
Thus, the plastic surgery specialist makes a small incision along the eyelid crease and removes the corrugator muscle. Once the extraction is done, the nerve between the eyebrows can no longer be stimulated, and the migraine symptoms will no longer be felt.