Of Course, 8 is Too Young for Botox ® UPDATE
May 12th, 2011
UPDATE: The mother of the 8-year-old has lost custody of her child, after an investigation was launched by San Francisco Human Services, according to ABC news today.
Has the intense need for perfection led some parents to extremes in seeking Botox ® injections for their young children? The short answer is, yes! Today Good Morning America featured a story about a mother giving her 8-year-old Botox injections to gain a competitive edge for children’s beauty pageants! I find this extremely disturbing and quite alarming to further find out that sadly this seems to be a rather common occurrence in the pageant circuit.
According to Allergan, for Botox ®, the protocol is as follows:
Botox ® Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in people 18 to 65 years of age for a short period of time. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FROM ALLERGAN
Botox ® Cosmetic may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening, for hours to weeks following an injection of Botox ®
I have to believe that no reputable physician would inject a child with a cosmetic treatment of this nature. Besides being unethical, there can be serious consequences for the child, both physical and emotional. While Botox has been proven to be safe for adults over 18, it is certainly off-limits for children. The practice seems abusive to me and I can’t imagine any sane parent subjecting to a child to these injections.
Why Lipo is Not a Quick Fix
May 11th, 2011
Why isn’t Lipo a quick fix? I have found that cosmetic surgery results are far better when the fat layer located beneath the skin is as thin as possible before surgery. In the case of skin tightening procedures, the skin can be draped more easily, yielding a better result. Wound healing is also more efficient, there are fewer complications and patients see the best results when they are at a healthy weight.
Patients presenting for cosmetic surgery consultation frequently change their minds regarding which procedures they consider, after reaching their ideal weight. One surgery in particular that comes to mind is breast surgery. A woman considering breast reduction before weight loss will frequently choose breast enlargement after significant weight loss. The volume of breast tissue is often affected by significant fluctuations in weight in both men and women.
In contrast, patients considering liposuction after gradual weight loss, usually need slight reduction of the stubborn remaining localized fat pockets. A common area for this persistent fat is the outer thigh, often referred to as “saddle bags.†Skin appearance also responds better when weight loss is gradual and exercise is part of the program. Think of suddenly letting air out of a balloon- it collapses and leaves the balloon wrinkled.
I know the idea of having surgery first, followed by weight loss and conditioning has been popularized on reality TV. It has never made much sense to me. Why take this shortcut if there are increased risks, potential medical problems and compromised cosmetic results? Consider being within 20 pounds of your ideal weight before considering cosmetic surgery. It is the best advice that I can offer my patients in this regard.
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