Could anal botox help me?
You don’t have to live with butt pain, discomfort, or over-tightness. That’s the message that Dr. Carolyn Million, a colorectal surgeon and specialist in all things anal, wants to tell people who use their butt during sex–and everyone.
“Part of my job is to make people happier, healthier, and able to fully express themselves sexually,” she said. “Don’t let pain or discomfort change your sex life. There can be a natural embarrassment about seeking care for this area of our body. But this is an important sexual organ and it’s important to address it in ways that allow you to use it in fulfilling ways.”
Anal Botox is part of Dr. Million’s menu of care. She sees clients who use Botox as a treatment for over-tightness.
“We have two sphincters–an internal one (which we cannot control) and an external one (which we do have control over). People have different levels of tightness to their internal sphincter–this tightness is inherited. If you’re overly tight, you may have more issues bottoming comfortably. This is what we can treat with Botox to create less tightness.”
To determine if someone is a good fit for anal Botox, Dr. Million speaks with patients about the issues they’re experiencing, and does a physical exam which involves assessing the hypertonicity (or flexibility) of the sphincter.
If they are normal or loose, Dr. Million assesses for digestive issues, looks for any tears or fissures which may be contributing to pain. If the muscles feel tighter than normal, the person may be a good candidate for treatment for Botox.
At her clinic, anal Botox treatments are quick and efficient–done in minutes or less.
“It’s sort of a similar experience to a Botox treatment anywhere else on the body like your face,” she said. “Just a different location. I have clients who come in every three months, and we do injections targeting their internal sphincter–sometimes external sphincter as well. These can take me as quickly as a minute to inject.”
Dr. Million emphasized that anal Botox treatments are safe for most people.
“This medication doesn’t travel in the bloodstream to far away areas in the body. It’s picked up by adjacent muscles. For most people, the injections are not too painful. The one thing I warn people about is that you may have some looseness or urgency [the need to poop] around the two-week mark when the Botox maxes out.”
Anal Botox is not a great idea for people who already have issues with loose stools, since it can cause incontinence and/or urgency–less time to make it to the bathroom.
Overall, Dr. Million considers herself a champion of anal botox as a solution for people to be able to bottom more comfortably.
“If you’ve been living for years, thinking you’re just going to have to live with pain–please don’t think that way,” she said.
Dr. Million is a Queer-friendly board certified physician who provides anal Botox and other anal health care services. Her practice is located in Oakland, California. She accepts insurance, with many services covered. You can find out more by visiting her website.
