In the News: Botox for an 8 Year Old Child?

It has been an emotional trigger to many across the country, especially parents; a video first seen on Good Morning America of a mother, Kerry, treating her 8 year old daughter, Britney, with Botox Cosmetic to reduce wrinkles she has on her face. Something that Kerry claims many pageant mothers are doing.

Botox Cosmetic has been approved to treat glabella lines in adults since 2002. Botox is not FDA approved for use in children for cosmetic purposes.  Botox is also a drug that cannot be dispensed without a prescription and cannot be used in the state of California without physician supervision.

Laws aside, what is causing the most outrage is the question of child abuse. Like any other product on the market there are certain risks associated with Botox and that is something that needs to be considered by a patient before moving forward with the treatment.  A child would not understand the risks and side effects of this treatment, even if time were spent explaining them.  The public worries that as a child, Britney is putting all her trust in her mother and her mother should be making informed, responsible decisions for her. Kerry defends her actions, saying it is want Britney wants and she understands not everyone will agree with her. To the SFGate, Kerry explains,

“I’m sure people reading this will think I am being irresponsible…” And that is exactly what people are saying.  She continues saying, “but I ensure you that I test the Botox and fillers I buy online on myself first.” That brings us to our next concern, purchasing Botox online. When you purchase anything online, let alone medically used substances, you cannot be sure you are getting exactly what you are promised. There are hundreds of articles explaining the dangers of purchasing Botox online. That is a concern for the child some are overlooking.

See the Good Morning America video here: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/mom-year-daughter-botox-young-young/story?id=13580804

Read the SFGate article here: https://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2011/03/28/mom-injects-8-year-old-with-botox/