JAMA: Injecting botulinum toxin A (known commercially as Botox) appears to
be a safe procedure to improve smiles by restoring lip symmetry in
children with facial paralysis, a condition they can be born with or
acquire because of trauma or tumor, according to a report published
online by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
Botulinum toxin A is an effective treatment in adults to achieve
facial symmetry after facial paralysis but few investigators have
described its use in children, according to the study background. Severe
cases of facial paralysis can require surgical reconstruction, whereas
milder cases can be treated with muscle transfer and other techniques,
or patients can be managed nonsurgically with physiotherapy and
rehabilitation strategies. When treated with botulinum toxin A, the
injection is given so as to weaken the strong muscles on the
nonparalyzed side of the face.
Siba Haykal, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Toronto, Canada, and
coauthors reviewed medical records and identified 18 children with
facial paralysis treated with botulinum toxin A injections from 2004
through 2012. The authors used facial analysis software to measure lower
lip symmetry in patients’ smiling photographs before and after
treatment.
The authors did not observe complications in patients who received botulinum toxin A and facial symmetry improved.
“We have shown that botulinum toxin A significantly improves symmetry
of the lower lip, is safe and has a potential for restoration of
permanent symmetry,” the study concludes.
(JAMA Facial Plast Surg. Published online March 5, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamafacial.2015.10. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)