A CLINIC in Consett is using Botox - the celebrities' answer to wrinkles - to combat BO in the latest treatment for those too posh to perspire.

Dr Alan Patterson, of Ponteland, near Newcastle, is using injections of Botox into the armpit skin to prevent people from sweating.

The treatment works by blocking the release of a chemical that stimulates the sweat glands. One injection lasts around six months.

Dr Patterson runs clinics throughout the North-East including at John Street, Consett.

He adopted the technique after seeing it demonstrated at the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors in London, and the World Anti-Ageing Conference in Paris.

He said: "In other countries, especially the USA, injections into the armpit to prevent sweating have really taken off, and it is especially in demand from celebrities who need to look cool at all times.

"It was apparently used by a number of personalities at the Oscar presentations, but I don't see why it should be limited to the famous.

"That's why I have introduced it to Tyneside."

Dr Patterson said: "Different people have varied responses to treatment, but in a clinical trial, the average reduction in sweat production a week after treatment was 87 per cent, and perspiration was reduced by at least half in 95 per cent of patients."