Botox at Age Eight

By: Becky Foster
Created on 20th May 2011

A woman in the USA (California) is now under investigation after admitting on national television that she has given her eight year old daughter Botox injections to help her chances in beauty pageants. Shortly after this admission, the Human Services Agency in San Francisco received many calls from viewers who were concerned with the young child's wellbeing, as Botox is not a recommended procedure for anyone under the age of eighteen.

Despite the fact that the mother involved in this story has since said that she regretted her decision to give her daughter Botox, this case is emblematic of the fact that more children and teenagers are undergoing procedures for cosmetic enhancement. Kerry Campbell, mother to eight year old Britney, has said that she is considering receiving therapy for her obsession with appearance so that she doesn't pass on her own hang ups to her young daughter. However, latest developments in this case suggest that Campbell lied all along about giving her daughter Botox in order to generate publicity.

Whether this story is to be believed or not, it still represents a worrying phenomenon. While teens make up only 2 percent of all those undergoing cosmetic procedures, the number is still treble what it was in 2002, and some experts think the rise in platforms for social media are to blame. Cosmetic surgeons have suggested that a greater acceptance of cosmetic surgery than 15-20 years ago and media hype have contributed to the boom in teens undergoing cosmetic procedures. But surely it is unhealthy for such young people to undergo cosmetic surgery when their bodies are not even fully developed.