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Forehead lift surgery seems to reduce the pain of migraines

Botox injections to the forehead, neck or shoulders have already been shown to help some people who suffer from migraines, possibly by relaxing key muscles. But this is temporary and the pain comes back. In this study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, doctors were seeking a more permanent solution via plastic surgery.

They first injected patients with Botox to determine the location of the trigger site for each person's migraine: the forehead, temple or back of the head.

Those who reported fewer migraine symptoms after the Botox injection, were selected for surgery to deactivate the trigger site in a procedure similar to that of a forehead lift.

In the study, 76 patients were randomly selected to undergo either a sham surgery or an actual operation. Unaware of which they had received, patients recorded frequency, intensity and duration of headaches for 12 months.

The researchers found that 28 of 49 patients (57.1%) in the group that had surgery reported elimination of migraine headaches at the end of a year, compared with just 1 of 26 (3.8%) who had fake surgery. Forty-one of 49 patients (83.7%) in the surgery group had significant improvement in migraine frequency, intensity and duration.

Advantages are that the operation is an outpatient one, patients go home right away after surgery and can be back to work in about a week."

Although the surgery was originally designed for cosmetic reasons. But this is more of a reason to have the surgery if a patient is [already] thinking about cosmetic surgery."

Another issue is whether these results would be generalizable to migraine patients at large. The patients were carefully selected, and the results may not apply to everyone. They only apply to a subgroup of migraine sufferers with identified triggers and a demonstrated response to Botox.

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