Bill that would ban cosmetic use of Botox for minors advances in N.J. Assembly

Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerA doctor administers Botox to a South Plainfield resident in this 2002 file photo.

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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Survey finds 30% would die early to get ideal body

The latest online buzz about cosmetic medicine, starting with news about body image and women’s quest for an ideal body weight.

Ad for the 2009 film version of "Dorian Gray"

DYING FOR BEAUTY

Dorian Gray is alive and well. In modern terms, the Oscar Wilde character had? body image issues: He sold his soul to keep his face and body youthful.

Now a survey of British women finds that 30 percent of them would give up a year of their lives if they could achieve their ideal body weight and shape.

The findings are reminiscent of another survey last year in the U.S., which found that about half of women would prefer to go without sex for the summer rather than gain 10 pounds.

A further finding of the latest survey is more disturbing. It found that nearly 50 percent of women said they have been ridiculed or bullied because of their looks. Nearly 40 percent said they’d have cosmetic surgery if money were no object.

LOOKING FOR IMPLANT TROUBLES

“Researchers say they’ve found flaws in evidence supporting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stance that women with silicone breast implants should get regular follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans,” Medical News Today says.

What’s the flaw? MRIs, which the FDA mandates, are more likely to find breast-implant problems in women who have symptoms of implant problems.

How is that a flaw?

BREAST INJECTIONS

The trendy technique of breast enhancement by means of fat injections doesn’t cause problems for cancer screening, according to a report in last month’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal.

French researchers who examined mammograms of 31 women who had the “fat transfers” — breast injections of fat originally taken from their hips or thighs — concluded that the procedure neither produced signs of cancer nor obstructed the interpretation of the mammograms as a cancer-screening technique.

However, “some women had small calcifications or cysts as aftereffects of the fat transfer procedure,” the researchers reported.

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Claire Danes 'would undergo cosmetic surgery'

Thursday, March 31 2011, 14:46 BST Claire Danes has expressed her belief that cosmetic surgery can help some women improve their self-confidence.

Stylelist quotes the actress, who made her screen debut at age 11, as saying that she believes women have the right to fix physical imperfections and wouldn't rule out going under the knife as she grows older.

"I'm really fortunate in that I'm still quite young, and can get away with a lot, and my body is very forgiving," Danes said. "We'll see how things progress."

Last year's Emmy winner for 'Outstanding Lead Actress ? Miniseries or Movie' also claimed that judgment should not be passed on those who undergo cosmetic procedures.

"I think it's great that women have so much choice now, and choice in products that are backed by science," the star explained.

"As long as people are aware of potential risks, and they're working closely with a doctor, I say go for it? These are real intimate personal decisions, and I don't think anyone should judge anyone."

Danes recently revealed details of her pilot for the Showtime psychological thriller Homeland.

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