Botox is commonly used to smooth out wrinkles, but new research suggests it could be used to help asthma sufferers, Daily Mail reports.

In a world first, doctors in Australia injected Botox directly into the vocal cords of asthma patients who were struggling to breathe.

These patients also suffered from a condition called vocal cord dysfunction which causes muscle spasms that make breathing difficult.

The Botox partly paralysed the muscles, allowing them to relax and make breathing easier.

This effect lasted for between two and three months.

A group of 11 patients received up to 24 injections, with 60 per cent reporting significant reductions in symptoms. 

However, there were some side effects with patients experience a softening of their voices.

Patient Lyn Dowsey, 68, has suffered severe asthma for years.

Eventually, her voice box became affected and she felt like she was being strangled.

She said: ‘It was terrible. It felt like there was a ball in my throat like I was being strangled. It was shocking.

‘Now I can get up off my seat and move around without struggling to breathe.’

The medical trial took 18 months of research and a team of 11 researchers.