If a friend told you they’d just had Botox, no one would blame you for assuming it was for cosmetic reasons. But truth be told, wrinkle busting is just one of the many uses for botulinum toxin (Botox).
By Chloe Schneider
First used to treat disorders of the eye muscle including uncontrollable blinking and misaligned eyes, over the years it has helped reduce tremors in multiple sclerosis patients, treat excessive underarm sweating, stop chronic headaches and much more. And now health professionals have suggested that Botox could be the solution to hay fever.
The cure is currently being trialled at Monash Medical Centre where Southern Health Director of Sleep and Respiratory Medicine Professor Philip Bardin is hoping to enrol about 70 patients in the trial which will see some patients receive the botox treatment and others a placebo.
Anyone who has been suffering from bad hay fever this spring will be pleased to hear the solution could offer relief from sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses for up to 90 days –meaning seasonal sufferers will only need to have the treatment once a year – and there will be no needles involved as Botox in a gel form will be applied to the inside of the patient’s nose.
We asked Cosmetic Physician Dr Naomi McCullum about how the solution would work, “The Botox gel, after being applied to the nose, will block the release of chemicals from the nerve endings, potentially resulting in a reduction of the symptoms.”
While there is definitely a chance that Botox could be the cure all hay fever sufferers have been hoping for, Dr McCullum says it’s, “impossible to be sure yet, we will just have to wait and see the results of the trial at Monash Medical Centre that is underway.”
Professor Bardin is expecting to evaluate the results around the middle of next year.
