Cosmetic eyelid surgery involving specific nerves may do more than improve your looks — the procedure may also provide migraine relief for some, according to a new study.

The technique involves making incisions in the upper eyelid to deactivate so-called “trigger” nerves. This process also lifts the lid, a technique known as blepharoplasty.

The new approach is an alternative to another surgery sometimes used to treat migraines. That one approaches the nerves under the skin but starts at the scalp.

Both procedures are known as trigger-site deactivation surgeries. Some neurologists and others who care for people with migraines view the procedures as unproven.

But when the surgery is used in appropriate patients, migraine improvement is common, said study researcher Dr. Oren Tessler, an assistant professor of clinical surgery at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine.

“Ninety percent of our patients had over 50 percent improvement in their migraines,” he said. “After a year's time, 51 percent had no migraines.”

Not everyone agrees that this surgery is helpful, or even that freeing trapped nerves gets to the root of what causes migraines.

The study recently was published in "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery."