Botox Mom Who Injected Daughter, 8, Under Investigation
Mom who gave daughter with Botox being investigated by California authorities.
May 13, 2011 — -- The California mom who admitted to injecting her 8-year-old daughter with botox for a kiddie beauty pageant is now being investigated by the San Francisco Human Services Agency.
"It's pretty unusual for a mom to be injecting an 8-year-old with botox and certainly is grounds for an investigation," said Trent Rohrer of the San Francisco Human Services Agency.
Mom Kerry and daughter Britney, appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday defending the 8-year-old pageant contestant's use of botox.
"I just, like, don't, like, think wrinkles are nice on little girls," Britney said.
Britney admitted it hurt to get the injections on her face, but said she was used to the pain.
The admission sparked an uproar online, in the medical community and by child advocates.
Kerry told ABC News that she does not believe she's endangering Britney's health and that her daughter asked for the injections. Kerry, who asked that her family's last name not be used, is a part-time aesthetician and no stranger to Botox herself, having done the treatment on her own face.
"Like I said, I do the botox myself. It's safe," Kerry said.
"She had watched me do it before," said Kerry. "So when we first did it, she was fine with it."
Kerry wouldn't reveal who provides her with the Botox. Kerry typically administers the Botox to Britney through a total of five shots, in three different locations on her face.
"The few times that we did it, it would lessen the lines," said Kerry. "They wouldn't completely disappear, she's a kid. And we don't do so much to where it's going to make a big difference."
Experts Say Botox Not Right for 8-Year-Old Girl
ABC News' chief health and medical editor, Dr. Richard Besser, said that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of botox on children for cosmetic purposes.
"As a doctor, if I'd seen this mother, I would be required to report her to protective services because it's maltreatment... Any doctor who would give a parent botox to administer to their children should lose their license…there's not a state where you don't need to be a licensed doctor or under direct supervision of a doctor to inject this," Besser said.
Besser said that botox is used to correct children who are cross-eyed or suffering from some neurological disorders, but not typically for cosmetic reasons.
"If you inject it in the face and it drifts to your throat, it can prevent you from swallowing. If it drifts to your breathing muscles..you can stop breathing. In a young child, if you're chronically using it on the face, it may actually change the shape of your face because your muscles interact with your bones to form what your face eventually looks like," Besser said.
Dermatologist Dr. Doris Day says the drug is generally safe, but she would never inject a minor.
"There's absolutely no reason to use it for cosmetic purposes in an 8-year-old child and so any risk is too much of a risk to take," Day said.
It wasn't just the medical community that was outraged. The ladies of "The View" tackled the subject on Thursday's show.
"This is the dumbest...momma I have ever seen in my life," Sherri Shepherd said.
Thousands of people shared their thoughts on the kiddie botox on ABCNews.com, Facebook and through tweets. In an ABCNews.com online poll, 97 percent of those who voted disapproved of botox for little girls.
"That is sick. Botox is a choice for adults, not kids," Laura Biering commented.
On Facebook and Twitter, ABC News received 2000 responses.
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