If you suffer with depression, chances are you have been advised to just put on a happy face. While you may dismiss these adages, knowing that you cannot feel better just by smiling, think again. New research suggests that using cosmetic services like injecting BOTOX® into the ‘frown’ muscles may help treat depression.
BOTOX® for Depression
Facial Muscles
A study conducted by Georgetown Medical School’s Psychiatry Professor Norman Rosenthal and Cosmetic Dermatologist Eric Finzi indicates that BOTOX® injections are helpful in the treatment of depression.
This study group consisted of 74 patients who suffered from major depression. Each patient received injections in the forehead. The physicians targeted the muscles that make frowning possible. Some patients received a placebo (saline), while others received BOTOX®.
The Results
Six weeks following the injections, more than half of the subjects who received the BOTOX® injections found relief from their depression, whereas only 15 percent of those injected with the placebo (saline) did.
Professor Rosenthal states that this is groundbreaking research in that it offers individuals suffering with depression (and their physicians) another way to treat the condition. Additionally, BOTOX® does not interfere with other medications/treatments.
Study Supports Theory: Facial Muscles Play a Vital Role in Regulating a Person’s Mood
Another study, conducted by the University of Basel’s M. Axel Wollmer and published online at the US National Library of Medicine, finds that when compared to a placebo, BOTOX® injections are superior in a group of depressed patients.
The 2014 Kruger and Wollmer placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 30 participants indicate BTX can improve depression or even send it into remission. All 30 participants in this study suffered from treatment-resistant depression.
The study participants received either a single dose injection of a placebo (saline) or a single dose injection of BOTOX®. Over a period of 16 weeks, depression symptoms were measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD17).
Within six weeks of the injection, those individuals who received the BTX indicated a 47 percent drop in their HAMD17 scores. Participants who received a placebo experienced a drop of less than 10 percent.
Conclusion
Researchers concluded that just one treatment with BOTOX® might relieve patients from symptoms related to depression. This is especially true for those who do not show improvement on antidepressant medications. This study also supports the theory that facial muscles play a vital role in regulating a person’s mood.
Dr. Charles Dietzek offers patients at his South Jersey Cosmetic Center BOTOX® injections. He can use BTX to decrease the appearance of frown lines and reduce wrinkles. Dr. Dietzek also offers his patients various other cosmetic services using products like Radiesse®, Juvederm®, and Belotero®. If you reside in or near New Jersey and are looking for a cosmetic doctor, contact Dr. Dietzek today.