Doctors have long been looking for a way to give patients the benefits of Botox without the needle. (You may recall, for example, the Botox cream being tested for hyperhidrosis.) The latest efforts involve Botox-soaked sponges, and the effects are surprisingly promising.
It has already been established that Botox injections can help the symptoms of rhinitis, which include a chronically runny nose, sneezing and congestion. German researchers, testing an alternative to injections, inserted sponges filled with Botox into participants’ nostrils for 30 minutes, and then had the participants keep a “nose diary” for three months.
Patients who received the Botox sponge treatment scored higher in all aspects of symptom relief than those who did not, leading researchers to believe that this could be an effective implementation.
“We’ve shown that the minimally invasive application method of BTA (botulinum toxin A) with a sponge is a safe, painless method which can lead to a long lasting reduction of nasal hypersecretion,” said study author Rainer Laskawi.
The anatomy of the nostril is different than that of the forehead and other areas where Botox may be used for cosmetic purposes, so the potency of the sponge method is hard to predict in the aesthetic arena. However, those of us who are disinclined to opt for injections are hopeful that further research shows promise for wrinkle relaxation.
