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Botox will save from depression
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Everyone knows that Botox injections help to get rid of wrinkles and smooth the skin. But, as it turned out, Botox has one more useful feature - it can help in the treatment of mental illnesses.
In a state of depression, a person is depressed, apathetic and experiences deep emotional experiences. Even the face of the patient expresses suffering and anguish.
Mimic wrinkles and parts of the brain that regulate our emotions are interrelated, and this connection is called the limbic system. Even a thought flashed through the head is transmitted to the facial muscles through nerve impulses.
A new study suggests that cosmetic procedures can help in alleviating depressive conditions.
Dr. Eric Finzi, a plastic surgeon, director of the cosmetic center in Maryland, conducted research that showed that the physical manifestation of emotion affects a person's feelings.
It is for this reason that Dr. Finzi believes that injections of botulinum toxin, smoothing wrinkles, can really improve the mood and well-being of people suffering from clinical depression.
For example, referring to his latest research, Dr. Finzi argues that the habit of frowning aggravates an already depressed mood, while a smile, even if not fun, can temporarily increase the sense of happiness.
The current study is the second one, but, like in the first survey, Dr. Finzi comes to similar conclusions.
In the first study, the doctor suggested that Botox injections reduce the number of negative emotions in humans, which means that the human brain is not receiving signals of a bad mood. There is such a process due to the fact that Botox blocks neuromuscular transmission.
A new study of the doctor involved 84 people suffering from severe depression, the duration of which averaged about two years. Most patients did not benefit from treatment with antidepressants.
All participants in the study were injected, but Botox was injected into one group, and the rest were given injections of placebo. The results were evaluated after three and six weeks.
By the end of the study, 27% of those patients who received injections of botox reported significant improvement in their condition, and also felt almost healthy. Of the group who received a placebo, only 7% reported improvement.
"This study suggests that suppressing negative emotions can significantly improve the condition of a person who suffers from depression and lead to remission," says Dr. Finzi.
However, botulinum toxin has a wider range of medical uses: it helps in the treatment of spasms, migraines and even patients with Parkinson's disease, which is thus easier to control their movements.
It paralyzes the work of small muscle groups and they relax, blocking the pathological impulses that cause spasms.
In addition, experts have recently discovered that Botox can help fight cancer, increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and catalyzing the destruction of tumor cells.