Botox... the next quick way to lose weight?

When it comes to weight-loss, everyone loves a quick fix.

The idea of Thermage is usually a big tease in this arena. People looking to lose weight hear about this new laser treatment that promises to "tighten skin" and "contour the body" and they hopefully assume that this treatment is a way to easily drop a couple pounds. 

But...it's not. 

Thermage tightens skin that is loose for a variety of reasons (significant weight loss, pregnancy*, aging, etc.) but Thermage only affects the skin, it cannot do anything to the fat underneath it. A lot of excited would-be Thermage patients leave the office very disappointed when they hear this reality... 

The latest fly-by-night weight-loss solution that might actually just be the golden ticket,  comes from our very good friend, Botox. 

Although this concept is still in the very early stages of study and experimentation, research suggests that if Botox is injected into the stomach walls, the appetite can be significantly suppressed, resulting in decreased weight. (Is there anything Botox can't do?!) 

For the testing of this, patients are sedated before the injection so that the doctors can endoscopically view the patient's stomach to see the best points to inject. Upon injection, the Botox “temporarily relaxes the muscles of the stomach so that it can’t contract as vigorously, and you feel full faster and you eat less food,” explains Gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan, founder of the Digestive Center for Women, on a recent episode of The Doctors. 

Clinical trials showed that stomachs treated with Botox retain the food longer, delaying emptying time and cutting the amount of food and liquid it takes a person to feel full, in half. Just like other Botox injections, it takes about two weeks for the botulinum toxin to reach its peak effect.

This study is in it's infancy though, as only ten patients so far have received this treatment. Dr. Chutkan, who tested this procedure on herself, admits that the feeling  “[is] subtle, but you definitely feel full faster.” She also  noted during this experiment, she lost seven pounds in three weeks. (A little higher than the recommended weight loss rate of 2lbs. per week, max.)

Botox is already being used off-label to solve a wide variety of physical problems including migraines, hair loss, vocal cord problems, hyper-sweating, and even an overly gummy smile.

The great thing about Botox is that it can be experimented with safely, because any effect it has is temporary. 

If weight-loss turns out to be another solution Botox can provide, I may need to snap up some Allergan stock asap. Here's to better living through chemistry...

*Picture shows a Thermage "before & after", where the female patient was done having children, and no amount of diet or exercise would shrink her skin back into shape. 

Stomach Botox injections for weight loss: