Botox for Teen before TV Debut
July 21st, 2010
The new star of Glee has had Botox right before she makes her debut appearance – at just 18-years-old. Teenage singer Charice Pempengco says she wanted to have the procedure “to look fresh on camera” before joining the show as a foreign exchange student. I hope this not another new pop culture trend.
It is hard to imagine any cosmetic facial problem that an 18 year old would have, which warrants the use of Botox. Facial animation wrinkles just have not had time to develop. The fact that she had Thermage is quite disturbing. Thermage is a non-surgical procedure that tightens skin and smoothes wrinkles. Superficial skin conditions like irregular pigmentation might also be improved by Thermage, but she was reported to be treated for wrinkles. Skin tightening effects are not necessary, nor are they indicated for teens. This is particularly true for Asian women. In my experience, their skin remains tighter than patients with lighter skin tones. Thermage cannot narrow the face. This requires facial sculpting. Liposuction or buccal fat pad excision remove facial fat to narrow the cheeks and certainly not recommended for teenagers.
The entire situation is absurd! It sounds like another Hollywood publicity stunt or medical grandstanding to me.
A Mother’s Perspective on Cosmetic Surgery for Teens
August 13th, 2009
Mikaela first expressed an interest in having breast augmentation during her junior year in high school. It was always a struggle to find swimming suits and dresses for events such as Prom, because she never quite filled out the bust line very well. She would spend hours trying things on to find something that she felt looked okay. I realize that some of this was just her age, but most of her concerns were legitimate.
At her request, I actually asked Dr Bashioum about breast augmentation for her. He recommended that she wait until she was 18 years of age and perhaps even until after the completion of high school. Needless to say, Mikaela was disappointed. I was relieved that it would give her time to really consider whether or not this was something that she wanted to pursue. We discussed the surgery at great length and the fact that this is a decision that will affect her future in many ways. There are distinct advantages to being a nurse and it proved to be very helpful having the firsthand knowledge of many kinds of surgery. I knew that implants do not last forever and her implants will, at some point in the future, have to be replaced. Would she be financially and emotionally mature enough to handle that?
Check back to read about our consultation with Dr. Bashioum.
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