Las Vegas Plastic Surgery: Jeffrey J. Roth M.D. F.A.C.S.
Las Vegas Plastic Surgery

By Dr. Jeffrey Roth

Mother Believes She Is Giving Her Daughter a Head Start On Being a Superstar

A recent article in London’s The Sun newspaper reports about a British mother buying Botox and facial fillers on the Internet, and then injecting her 8 year old daughter with them.  The mother, a beautician, also regularly has her daughter waxed to remove hair. The mother believes that her daughter is going to be a superstar some day, and so she is preventing any premature aging and keeping her looks youthful. The daughter notes that she looks forward to the procedures. Her daughter scrunches her face, looking for a wrinkle or crease for her mother to address.

The mother is active in the childhood pageant community, and states that the other mothers are doing this as well.

There are many aspects of this story that one can take exception to. My initial reaction asks what are this mother’s actions teaching her child about self esteem, body image, and life’s priorities?

Further discussion also questions if the mother is  projecting unrealistic and unhealthy beauty expectations onto the little girl, if she is living her life vicariously through her daughter, and numerous other psychological ramifications for her actions.

First, let’s talk about safety.

The FDA approved Botox for treatment of wrinkles in the age group of 18-65.  This is a key reason why the mother injecting the drugs is harmful. Licensed, legitimate health and skin practitioners would never administer Botox to a child.

Purchasing Botox and facial fillers from the Internet is a bad idea.  Plastic surgeons get faxes all the time touting a pharmacy in Canada where one can buy cheap Botox or facial fillers.  Not only is this illegal, it is dangerous.  It turns out that these pharmaceuticals are often not made in Canada, but are often bogus Botox and skin care fillers made in places like Turkey or China, where strict safety and health regulations do not exist. The forgeries can be very good.  The boxes and labeling can be close to the legitimate brand. The drug is often not close to the desired product, and indeed may be dangerous.  If there is a problem, the maker of the pharmaceutical will not stand behind the drug as they would if their product was purchased through a legitimate source.

The administration of any medical drug or treatment by an untrained person is a serious potential problem waiting to happen.  This is often highlighted in the pediatric population.  This practice is at best foolhardy and at worst criminal, as it often involves practicing medicine without a license. Trained doctors and cosmetic practitioners know the anatomy, pharmacology and physiology involved with the issue they are treating. They can often address a problem if one arises, and more importantly recognize a potential issue and avoid the problem altogether. Untrained, unlicensed individual who perform Botox and facial filler injections place their “patients” at a considerable risk.

It is my hope that this story acts as a warning to any other potential people who are willing to put their children at high risk for a physical reward that may never come.

Jeffrey J. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Las Vegas Plastic Surgery

(702) 450-0777

www.jjrothmd.com

References:

The Sun

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