Too young for botox?

How young is too young for botox ? It’s a question being asked these days by more parents because their teen daughters are getting mixed messages from one of their idols.

The topic of teens and botox is making headlines these days because a young star on the hit show Glee has admitted to getting botox injections.

Charice Pempengco is 18 years old and reportedly got botox injections in her jaw because she wanted her face to look less round and fresh for her big debut.

As soon as Charice went on the record about having the procedure, others started injecting their opinion about her decision.

Tampa dermatologist Seth Forman sees hundreds of patients who are trying to stick it to Father Time by getting botox injections.

He says there is an appropriate age for such a procedure. For example, he says a middle-aged person who wants to look younger is fine with him. But he draws the line when teens are trying to look even younger.

“To be honest, trying to look younger when you are 18 or 19 is really not an appropriate wish. It’s impossible to make someone look younger at that age,” says Forman.

We visited Dr. Forman while he was giving 54-year-old Sarah King botox injections to her face.

Sarah has the procedure done every four to six months. She says it’s not painful and there is barely any down time.

“As you get older, it becomes more important to look younger than you are,” Sarah tells us.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, about ten million surgical and non surgical procedures were performed last year. At least five million people received botox shots. Twelve thousand of those shots were giving to teens.

It’s not clear how many of those shots were given to teens to treat medical conditions.

We talked to several young girls in the Tampa Bay area about botox shots for teens and younger women.

Pheneva Blocker, a 21-year-old student, says, “I think it’s crazy how people in their teens are getting it done.”

19-year-old Sasha Kershbaum says she wouldn’t do it and even says, “I think it’s kind of gross.”

Dr. Forman says botox too young can be harmful to a teen because their facial features aren’t fully developed.

His big worry is that it can be something that goes beyond skin deep and the teen could be suffering from body dysmorphic disorder. It’s a disorder where a person is excessively preoccupied by a perceived defect in his or her physical features and can go overboard to correct it.

Dr. Forman does suggest parents sit down with their teens and have a serious talk about what’s really going on with them.