Following a similar approval in Europe earlier this month, US regulators have now approved the popular wrinkle treatment Botox for treating a specific type of overactive bladder problem. It will now be legal to offer Botox as a treatment for loss of bladder control resulting from damage to the nervous system, such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Experts hope that the move will pave the way for the wider use of Botox for a variety of bladder problems.

While approximately half of the annual $1.5 billion sales of Botox go towards reducing wrinkles, it is also used to treat migraine headaches, hay fever, upper limb spasticity, eye muscle problems and eyelid spasms and neck pain caused by cervical dystonia. The drug, whose active ingredient is a toxin that blocks nerve signals, can now be injected into the bladder to treat patients who have suffered a loss of bladder control because of nervous system damage resulting from conditions including spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis.

The condition known as overactive bladder causes an inability to control urination, urgent need to urinate, and frequent urination, but one injection of Botox can be enough to treat the symptoms for up to nine months, by controlling the muscle spasms and increasing bladder capacity.

If you’re considering undergoing botox, you should always ensure you used an approved practitioner with cosmetics courses training or lip filler courses training from a Botox training and Botox courses provider such as Dr Hennessy Academy.