10 places you didn't know Botox injections could be helpful, including your feet, bladder, and vagina

Allana AkhtarMar 30, 2023, 05:12 IST

Doctors can inject Botox in places that aren't the face to treat a variety of medical conditions.Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

Botox is far from just a wrinkle-reducer.
The neurotoxin relaxes your muscles, which can help a number of conditions like an overactive bladder and teeth grinding.

Botox isn't just for the face. Doctors inject Botox in many parts of the body, including some patients' feet and vaginas — but for medical reasons, not to make them prettier.

Botox is a brand name for the neurotoxin "botulinum toxin," which, when injected, prevents nerve signals from reaching the muscles. The blocked signal keeps muscles from contracting, which is why Botox keeps facial muscles from tensing up and creating wrinkles.

But there's other muscles in the body that could use some neurotoxin-induced relaxing, particularly when they are causing other health problems. Botox in the bladder can help people who frequently need to pee; Botox in the jaw can keep you from grinding your teeth at night. Here are eight other surprising applications of Botox:

Botox in your armpits is a common treatment for excessive sweating.

Botox on the feet, armpits, and scalp can treat unwanted sweating.Getty Images

Botox can offer temporarily relief to people with an overactive bladder.

A urologist can inject Botox into the bladder to help people who often feel a sudden urge to pee.Getty Images

Botox can help kids and adults who suffer from excessive drooling, particularly when it's causing other problems.

Botox injected straight into the salivary glands can prevent excessive drooling.Getty Images

Botox can treat a disease that causes cold hands.

Doctors at the University of Chicago use Botox to treat a condition that causes cold hands.Getty Images

Some doctors treat a condition that causes painful sex with Botox.

Botox may help people with vaginismus, though the FDA hasn't approved it as a treatment yet.Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Botox might lessen acne and improve acne scars, but only temporarily.

Botox can improve acne and acne scarring.av_antropov/Shutterstock

Botox might help people who clench and grind their teeth.

Injecting Botox to the muscles in your jaw can help alleviate teeth grinding.BUNDITINAY/Shutterstock

Botox was actually approved to treat crossed-eyes before wrinkles.

Ophthalmologists can inject Botox directly into the eye to help with misalignment.VCG / Contributor / Getty Images

Botox injections to the head and neck can treat migraines and stop muscle spasms.

The FDA approved Botox injections to the head and neck as a treatment for migraines and a condition that causes involuntary head movement.peepo/Getty Images

Botox injections in the stomach are thought to help with weight loss, but researchers doubt the treatment is effective in the long-term.

Botox injections in the stomach may keep the organ from contracting, slowing digestion.Brian Snyder/Reuters

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