Hayfever & Allergic Rhinitis Relief
What are the causes of hay fever?
Hay fever or allergic rhinitis is an allergy to pollen or even dust and mould. According to Allergy UK, hay fever affects about 20% of the population. If you have a family history of asthma or eczema, you are most likely to also have hay fever.
Pollen, the main cause of hay fever, is high during warm, dry and windy weather. There are different types of pollen﹕
- Tree pollen (oak, birch, and hazel trees): high pollen count during February to June
- Grass pollen (rye, timothy, couch grass): high pollen count during May to July
- Weed pollen (plantain, nettle): high pollen count during June to September
Symptoms of Hay fever:
- Sneezing and coughing
- A runny or blocked nose
- Itchy, red or watery eyes
- Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- Loss of smell
- Pain around your temples and forehead
- Headache caused by a stuff nose
- Earache
- Feeling tired
Severe Hay fever symptoms can ruin the Spring and Summer season for many people and have a detrimental effect on their quality of life. 10% of hay fever sufferers do not respond to conventional, over-the-counter treatments like anti-histamine tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops. It may also prevent people from being able to work optimally.
If you suffer with severe hay fever symptoms and have tried all available oral and topical medication available with little or no improvement, Avenir Clinics is able to offer consultations for two alternative Hay fever relief treatments.
The treatments are not a cure, but do provide a temporary and effective means to help manage the symptoms through the season.
Please note:
A thorough risk assessment will be carried out by the Practitioner to check the suitability and eligibility of the alternate treatment options
- Avenir Clinics cannot guarantee that all requests will be treated. This at the discretion of the Practitioner following the consultation
- Avenir Clinics does not treat patients under 18 years of age
- Patients will be weighed as doses vary according to their weight
- A verbal and written consent will be required for the treatment to proceed following consultation
Hay Fever Injection
This treatment should only be considered if you suffer with severe hay fever symptoms and have tried all available oral and topical medication available with little or no improvement.
The hay fever injection is a steroid treatment. Steroids are a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that helps suppress the body’s immune response when it overreacts without the need for tablets, sprays or other medication.
The hay fever injection can be beneficial when other treatments have failed. However, the Practitioner will conduct a thorough risk assessment to check the suitability of this treatment for you. The benefits, risks and potential side effects of administering this medication will be discussed in depth during the consultation.
Usually, one injection is enough to keep symptoms at bay for the entire hay fever season. However, in some instances a second hay fever injection may be required during the same season (chargeable). It is not recommended for more than 2 doses to be administered in one season.
The dose required to control severe symptoms is partly related to body weight. If you are over 80kg, you will require a larger dose to ease your symptoms.
Procedure time (including consultation)
40 mins.
On set of results
Initial symptom relief can be noticed after a few days
Risks & Complications
All cortico-steroids can cause unwanted side-effects, although these are rare at the dose levels that you get from a hay fever injection. One main issue is that the injection can partially suppress the immune system for up to 3 weeks
Anaesthetic
Not usually required
Duration of results
One hay fever season. Very occasionally a second dose may ne required within the same season
Price:
Consultation only (no treatment) £30
Consultation + Hay Fever Injection (Standard dose) £85
Consultation + Hay Fever Injection (Larger dose) £99 Subject to Patient’s weight
Aller-Tox™
This treatment should only be considered if you suffer with severe hay fever symptoms and have tried all available oral and topical medication available with little or no improvement.
This treatment refers to the relief of hay fever or allergic rhinitis symptoms using botulinum toxin. This toxin is most commonly used to help relax facial fine lines and wrinkles, but in this treatment the toxin is sprayed into the nasal passages using a mucosal atomisation device (nasal aerosol). The toxin works by blocking the conduction of nerve signals in the nasal passage, which triggers the onset of hay fever symptoms.
Aller-Tox™ can be beneficial when other treatments have failed. However, the Practitioner will conduct a thorough risk assessment to check the suitability of this treatment for you. The benefits, risks and potential side effects of administering this medication will be discussed in depth during the consultation.
This treatment avoids injections and steroid use and patients are unlikely to become resistant to treatment. It is a minimally invasive treatment, has no downtime and can last for the entire season. Very occasionally, a dose adjustment may be required after 3-4 weeks (chargeable). This is fully dependent on the patients’ requirement for further symptom relief and according to the allergens causing the symptoms.
The benefit of this treatment is that adjunctive therapies (eye drops, nasal sprays, oral antihistamine tablets) can be safely continued during this treatment.
This treatment should only be considered if you suffer with severe hay fever symptoms and have tried all available oral and topical medication available with little or no improvement.
This treatment refers to the relief of hay fever or allergic rhinitis symptoms using botulinum toxin. This toxin is most commonly used to help relax facial fine lines and wrinkles, but in this treatment the toxin is sprayed into the nasal passages using a mucosal atomisation device (nasal aerosol). The toxin works by blocking the conduction of nerve signals in the nasal passage, which triggers the onset of hay fever symptoms.
Aller-Tox™ can be beneficial when other treatments have failed. However, the Practitioner will conduct a thorough risk assessment to check the suitability of this treatment for you. The benefits, risks and potential side effects of administering this medication will be discussed in depth during the consultation.
This treatment avoids injections and steroid use and patients are unlikely to become resistant to treatment. It is a minimally invasive treatment, has no downtime and can last for the entire season. Very occasionally, a dose adjustment may be required after 3-4 weeks (chargeable). This is fully dependent on the patients’ requirement for further symptom relief and according to the allergens causing the symptoms.
The benefit of this treatment is that adjunctive therapies (eye drops, nasal sprays, oral antihistamine tablets) can be safely continued during this treatment.
Before Aller-Tox™ treatment:
It is advisable to perform a saline or eucalyptus nasal spray 30-60 minutes prior to the appointment. This will wash away existing pollen particles, nasal fluid and prepare the nasal passages to have better contact with the toxin. This allows more product to reach and target the nerves that trigger the hay fever symptoms.
Do not use any nasal sprays for 24 hours prior to the procedure.
Procedure time (including consultation)
40 mins.
On set of results
Symptom relief can be noticed after 1-2 weeks if not sooner
Possible risks & complications
Possible redness, itching or irritation at the injection site, atomiser site discomfort, headache
Anaesthetic
Not required
Duration of results
One hay fever season. Very occasionally a second dose may be required within the same season
Price:
Consultation only (no treatment) £30
Consultation + From £160
Additional supplementary charge for larger dosing
*Disclaimer*
The treatments are not a cure for hay fever or allergic rhinitis, but do provide a temporary and effective means to help manage the symptoms through the season. In very rare instances, no improvement to the symptoms is noted following treatment.