Breast Surgery Patients May Benefit From Botox

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Doctors in Arkansas say pain from breast surgery is reduced if patients get Botox injections.

A study by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found that using the toxin that's popular for reducing wrinkles greatly diminished the morphine doses of women undergoing breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

In breast reconstruction, tissue expanders are temporarily implanted beneath the chest muscle and slowly inflated over several weeks to stretch the tissue in preparation for permanent implants.

In the study, researchers compared pain levels of 30 women who received Botox and 26 women who did not receive the injections.

They found that women who got Botox used 89 percent less morphine in the first 24 hours after surgery, and less morphine overall. They also stayed one day less in the hospital.

The study was presented recently at the Plastic Surgical Forum of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Philadelphia and was published in the October issue of the Annals of Surgery.

"The reconstruction process can be painful for some women, and we are happy to find a way to ease that pain," said Dr. Julio Hochberg, study co-author and professor of surgery at the university.

One of the researchers said the study took no funding from the manufacturer of Botox, and that the company did not know the study was taking place.

Study Abstract