News & Specials
Surgeon Offers More than Cosmetic Surgery in Salt Lake City
Even though he performs cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation, Provo surgeon Dr. Kevin Rose is becoming widely known for migraine surgery, a procedure that offers relief from debilitating headaches.
Provo, Utah (July 2010) – Dr. Kevin Rose is already widely known and highly regarded for cosmetic surgery procedures like breast enlargement in Provo and other types of cosmetic surgery for Salt Lake City and beyond, but now he is becoming known for pioneering a surgical approach to treating chronic migraine sufferers. Dr. Rose's new surgical method for treating migraines is truly revolutionary, with one study showing a 92% rate of success.
"The success rate is phenomenal," says board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rose. "So far we've seen that through surgery, migraines can be eliminated or dramatically reduced in the vast majority of patients. For many, that means improving their work, home and social lives, adding to their general quality of life."
Dr. Rose's migraine surgery technique is based upon the research of Dr. Bahman Guyuron, who found a link between areas that plastic surgeons work on and the trigger sites for migraines. Dr. Rose worked with Dr. Guyuron in Ohio at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals of Cleveland, where Dr. Rose conducted research while training with the renowned doctor.
Initially, surgeons noticed that many patients who had undergone brow lift procedures for cosmetic purposes and had migraine headaches were seeing a decrease in migraines afterward surgery. This sparked interest and after six months of studies, the surgeons were able to determine the main trigger sites for migraines.
"At my plastic surgery clinic in Provo, a big part of what I do is specialize in body contouring, tummy tucks and breast augmentation for Salt Lake City area patients," notes Dr. Rose. "But that's just a part of the full picture. I'm seeing patients from across the country for migraine surgery, and it's one of the most satisfying procedures I perform. The look of relief in people's eyes – sometimes after decades of ineffective treatments and suffering – reaffirms to me the value of the training and skills I developed under Dr. Guyuron."
Before surgery, Dr. Rose is able to determine which sites trouble his patients most by using a series of BOTOX® injections, relaxing the muscles in the forehead, the temple area or the back of the head at the base of the neck, with the goal of temporarily relieving migraines. Dr. Rose establishes whether the patient is a good candidate for surgery and what areas could be effectively treated with surgery by analyzing how a patient responds to the BOTOX treatment and which areas have the largest response. In general, patients who show a strong response to BOTOX are good candidates for surgery.
"We don't operate on patients who don't show at least a 50% decrease in frequency, duration and severity of migraines through BOTOX treatment alone," says Dr. Rose. "If the patient responds well, then I use a method similar to endoscopic brow lift surgery to remove the nerve responsible for causing the migraines."
For many of Dr. Rose's patients, the surgery can be a life saver, but since the procedure is so new and since Dr. Rose is one of a handful of surgeons across the U.S. to offer it, many insurance companies are cautiously tight-fisted about covering the surgery.
"As more migraine surgeries are performed at my practice and nationwide, I think the insurance companies will come to appreciate the enormous quality of life benefit and begin to cover this procedure," Dr. Rose explains. "In the meantime, for patients who have had migraine surgery, the benefits can outweigh the costs by several orders of magnitude. It's hard to put a price on comfort and peace of mind."
If you would like to learn more about treating migraine headaches in the Salt Lake City, Provo or Orem area, contact us for a migraine consultation. You can also call The Rose Clinic at 801-375-ROSE (7673) and one of our helpful staff members will schedule your appointment.
