Last week Botox was approved for use as a tool for preventing chronic migraine headaches in the U.K. The country’s drug regulator became the first in the world to approve Botox for this use, Allergan announced last week. While it’s best known as a cosmetic wrinkle treatment, Botox can now be used on migraine patients in the U.K. who have headaches at least 15 days a month, including migraines on 8 days.

In the United States, the FDA may decide later this month if it will allow Botox to be used for migraines, according to Aaron Gal, a Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst in New York.

In the United States, in addition to treating wrinkles, Botox can be used to treat eye muscle spasms and muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults with upper limb spasticity. There are also several off-label uses for Botox, such as treatment of excessive sweating.

Allergan’s clinical trial involved 1,384 adults who had a history of migraines and experienced 15 or more headache days of which at least 50 percent were migraine or probable migraine during the 28-day period. At the end of the baseline period, patients were randomized to receive either Botox injections or placebo.

By week 24 following treatment, those who received Botox averaged 8.2 fewer migraine days, compared to the placebo group, who averaged 6.2 fewer migraine days.

“We have been following these studies really closely and the evidence is really pretty solid. These people spend half their lives in pain. Even if they get half the attacks, it can really improve their quality of life,” said Lee Tomkins, director of Migraine Action in the U.K. She stressed it is not a cure but does offer hope for those who suffer from migraines.

Botox was the number one minimally-invasive cosmetic procedure in 2009, during which the procedure was performed 4.8 million times in the U.S., according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ most recent statistics. Overlake Plastic Surgeons offers Botox to Bellevue and Seattle patients and is often able to schedule evening and same day appointments for the procedure.