TRENTON — An increasing number of teenagers nationwide are turning to Botox to improve their looks, studies show, a practice some state lawmakers say is disturbing enough to ban.
An Assembly panel today advanced a bill that would make it illegal for people under 18 to use Botox, a brand name for a botulism toxin, for cosmetic purposes.
Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex) introduced the bill in February, after seeing news accounts of teenagers using the toxin. She asked the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee to act on it yesterday after seeing a television report about a San Francisco woman who said she injects her 8-year-old daughter with it for beauty pageants.
As it turns out, the website TMZ reported today that the story had been made up.
Tucker, unaware that the situation was reportedly fabricated, told the committee: "At that age you have no facial lines, and most of the times these procedures are done for older mature women. I think for someone to submit their young children to Botox injection without it being a medical reason I think is very wrong."
The state Department of Health says it has received no complaints about the use of Botox among minors.
Adults use Botox to smooth out wrinkles and other perceived imperfections. But the bill (A3838) cites a study by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery that found use of the toxin among teenagers on the rise.
In 2009, 12,110 patients nationwide under age 18 used it, 32 percent more than the prior year, the study found. Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for 2010 show similar use. The federal Food and Drug Administration recommends that children under 18 not use Botox.
In some cases, the FDA warns, use can cause botulism and be life-threatening.
The bill, which was sent to the full Assembly, would allow the use of Botox in minors to treat medical conditions like facial spasms and certain eye conditions.
Related coverage:
‧ N.J. Assembly panel to vote on bill banning cosmetic use of Botox by minors
‧ South Plainfield woman is charged with providing illegal Botox injections
‧ Opinion: 8-year-old girl receives Botox treatments... from Mom
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