Age Appropriate Aesthetic Procedures - Should Your Teen Be Receiving Injectables: Fillers And Neurotoxins?

There has been much debate regarding teens turning to aesthetic procedures to combat bullying, more specifically receiving injectables such as neurotoxins, commonly referred to as Botox or Dysport. Recent media has referenced over 12,000 teens having indulged in the practice, according to a report by the American Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. These articles and TV reports suggest the neurotoxins were implemented to seek results such as eliminating wrinkles and frown lines.


"Normally someone in their teen years would not have forehead or squint lines, but there are rare cases where twentysomethings have begun to show harsh signs of aging skin due to their skin type or overexposure to the sun."


To some this may be an alarming number and pose the question, "Are young teens resorting to Botox to gain self-esteem and fit in?"


While there may be some truth that our culture has cultivated a heightened degree of insecurity in young people, Dr. Oscar Hevia explains there are numerous teen ailments that can be relieved by administering a neurotoxin, including excessive sweating, cervical dystonia, muscle cramping, migraines and blepharospasms that can arise from neurological disorders. Therefore, the data may be a bit misleading.


These findings suggest our youths are not turning to neurotoxins for strictly vanity reasons, but rather to address actual medical issues that create abnormal characteristics, which in turn lead to a source of bullying.


"One of the most common medical uses of neurotoxins such as Botox or Dysport is to control excessive underarm sweating," explains Dr. Oscar Hevia, a noted Miami cosmetic dermatologist. "Excessive sweating is embarrassing for anyone, but for a teen it can be humiliating."


Excessive sweating can be eliminated or at least minimized in most cases by administering a series of 20 or more injections of a neurotoxin under each arm. Patients' sweating is lessened, or in many cases eliminated, for a period of time up to six months or longer.


The highly respected physician Dr. Hevia, who operates Hevia Cosmetic Dermatology, established the Hevia Center for Research to further study both the medical and cosmetic benefits of injectables and skin care products.


Lastly Dr. Hevia notes, "Normally someone in their teen years would not have forehead or squint lines, but there are rare cases where twentysomethings have begun to show harsh signs of aging skin due to their skin type or overexposure to the sun."