Botox eases lines and depression

May 22 2006

According to a U.S. study patients who were depressed who received the treatment botulinum toxin A (Botox) experienced relief from their symptoms.

Major depression is a common and serious disease that is often resistant to routine pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment approaches.

Dermatologist Eric Finzi says in a study of ten patients who were experiencing major depression in spite of treatment, all were less depressed after receiving injections of the cosmetic form of botulinum toxin into facial muscles which removed their ability to frown.

All the women, aged 36 to 63, were evaluated by clinical psychologist and coauthor, Erika Wasserman PhD before the treatment and none were seeking cosmetic changes.

Of the group 9 of the 10 patients were no longer depressed 2 months after treatment and the tenth patient had an improvement in mood.

Finzi and Wasserman say these, as far as they know, are the first reported cases of depression to be treated with botulinum toxin A.

Dr. Finzi is so confident of the success of the treatment that he has suggested doing a larger study and has applied for a patent to use botulinum toxin A to treat depression.

Other experts in the field support the findings and say they too have noticed similar results.

Some suggest that facial expressions may trigger an emotional response to the brain.

The research is published in the current edition of Dermatologic Surgery.