11 million men and women have turned to Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) to reduce signs of aging. Botox has quickly become a cosmetic godsend, effectively erasing crow’s feet, brow lines and forehead lines.
But there might be more to Botox than meets the eye.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved(FDA Approval) the use of Botox to treat adults with overactive bladder. Yup, this beauty drug now has more purposes than one.
How can Botox Treat Your Overactive Bladder Problem?
Overactive bladder occurs when a bladder squeezes too often or squeezes without warning. Symptoms include leaking urine, feeling the sudden need to urinate and frequent urination.However, injecting Botox into the bladder muscle allows the bladder to relax, increasing the bladder’s storage capacity.
“Clinical studies have demonstrated Botox’s ability to significantly reduce the frequency of urinary incontinence,” said Hylton V. Joffe, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Finally, beauty and health treatments unite!
The Results
12 weeks after Botox treatment, patients experienced urinary incontinence an average of 1.6 to 1.9 times less per day than patients treated with placebo. Botox-treated patients also needed to urinate on average 1.0 to 1.7 times less per day and expelled an average of about 30 milliliters more urine than those treated with placebo.
Common side effects reported during clinical trials included urinary tract infections, painful urination, and incomplete emptying of the bladder.