Plastic surgery is a word that brings to mind images of overdone lips and skin, as well as body parts that are much larger than they should be. The majority of people’s knowledge of cosmetic plastic surgery is based on what they see in Hollywood stars and other Hollywood types.
When discussing cheap plastic surgery, it is easy to forget the original needs that the procedures were designed to meet. Reconstructive surgery has changed the lives of people who have suffered catastrophic injuries such as a broken nose, a deviated Septum, or women who had undergone mastectomies because of cancer. Children with a cleft palate, and many others, are forever changed by this miracle. Doctors are now discovering another serious medical application for cosmetic surgery. They can treat paralyzing headaches or even provide long-term relief.
According to statistics, up to 30 millions Americans suffer from migraines, with estimates globally much higher. A large portion of these are sidelined for more than two weeks each month by the pain, sound and light sensitivity. Doctors are not sure what causes migraines, so they have to guess at the cause. The same treatment may not work consistently for the same patient. A patient’s “successful treatment” might result in a 50% decrease in the number of attacks or degree of pain. This is an improvement but still leaves patients suffering.
In 2009, there was a new hope on the horizon. Doctors were told by anecdotal reports that certain facelifts, specifically those to smooth out the brow, could relieve migraines. Dr. Bahman Guyuron of University Hospitals at Case Medical Centre, Cleveland, Ohio, conducted formal studies with two groups of migraine patients, one of whom received facial surgery and the other a “fake surgery”. Even the research team was surprised by the results: more than half of the migraine sufferers who underwent the real surgery had their pain completely eliminated within a year. This compares to less that five percent of the group receiving the fake surgery.
Although the surgery is only used as a last option when all other treatments have failed, it is still a relatively cheap, simple plastic surgery that can help people regain a quality of life once again. Around 150 doctors have already been trained by Dr. Guyuron, but the increasing number of positive reports from patients will ensure that the procedure is used more in the future.