- Karen Croule was left fighting for life after a bonfire spark ignited her jacket
- She suffered burns to her face, neck and hands and needed skin grafts
- As the burns healed they were so itchy that she couldn't sleep
- She became the first person to have burn scar itching treated with Botox
- Works by reducing sweating as damaged sweat glands are cause of itching
A woman who suffered horrendous burns has become the first in world to have her injuries treated with Botox.
Karen Croule, 54, was left fighting for her life after a freak accident at an allotment near her home in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, left her ablaze.
She suffered burns to her face, neck and hands and needed several skin grafts.
Amazingly, she pulled through but was left with a constant itch, which is common for burns sufferers.
In a world first, doctors have cured the itch by giving her injections of Botox.
The doctor believes that the treatment was successful because the Botox injections reduce sweating and it is the damaged sweat glands that cause the itching.
The mother-of-two said: 'The itching was driving me crackers. I wasn't sleeping so I couldn't go back to work. I became really depressed. I couldn't see an end.'
The itching sensation is caused by nerves re-growing, or by dry skin due to the lack of natural oil produced because oil glands are often damaged by the burn.
As the nerves grow and start to receive and send messages, they can create a severe itching sensation.
Mrs Croule, a family support worker, was enjoying a day out with her family at her allotment when a stray spark from a garden chimney set her jacket alight, causing an instant fireball.
Her quick-thinking son pushed her to the ground to try to put out the blaze but she had already suffered horrendous burns.
Mrs Croule was taken to the specialist burns unit at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre by air ambulance.
She said: 'I had to be operated on sat up and needed lots of skin grafts. They had to rebuild my neck. I was on a lot of morphine and it was all horrendous, but the staff were fantastic.'
Mrs Croule even had to have balloons placed underneath the skin of her neck to stretch it - this created undamaged skin that could be used to repair the wounds.
Medics would not allow her to look at her injuries and no mirrors were allowed in her room.
She said: 'They said I had to come to terms with it when I was ready.'
After a month in hospital she was allowed home and saw her disfigurement for the first time.
She said: 'I just burst into tears.'
But as her wounds healed, she started experiencing itching day and night.
She said: 'Once I started, I couldn't stop. I'd often draw blood. I was desperate.'
Doctors tried various treatments but nothing worked.
It was then that consultant plastic surgeon, Mr Peter Brooks, came up with the idea of using Botox.
He said: 'Botox can be used to treat various things. There are lots of good medical uses for Botox including sweating. It's not just used for cosmetic surgery.'
He had been researching the subject for some time and asked Mrs Croule if she would like to take part in a trial - the first of its kind in the world.
She said: 'I was quite taken aback when Mr Brooks mentioned Botox. I just thought celebrities used it but I was willing to try anything.
'I had relief as soon as I had the first injection. There was no itching whatsoever.
'It was a total life saver because I could start sleeping. Now, I'm back at work. I've got my life back.
'I'm not sure if it's made me look any younger though!'
Mr Brooks said: 'Botox blocks muscle contraction and reduces sweating. People with burns often have their sweat glands destroyed but the nerves are still there, which could, I believed, be the cause of itching.
'I put those things together and thought there was a good chance Botox would work.
'Karen had relief almost immediately. We have now treated over 50 patients successfully without problems.'
The hospital is now planning to run a trial across the world to show Botox is better for chronic burns itching than any other treatments are.
The Queen's Medical Centre will lead the trial and there will also be centres across the UK looking into the effects.
Karen Croule, 54, was left fighting for her life after a freak accident on her allotment left her severely burnt
She suffered serious burns to her face, neck and hands and needed several skin grafts. But as the burns healed, she was left with an unbearably itchy neck which meant she was unable to sleep
Consultant Peter Brooks thought he could relieve the itching using Botox injections. Mrs Croule was the first person in the world to have this treatment for burns
Source - Dailymail
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