Teen Botox Stats

More teens getting botulinum toxin injections.
Writing in the New York Times (8/12, E1) "Skin Deep" column on the front of the Thursday Styles section, Catherine Saint Louis observes, "According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, last year, botulinum toxin, which is sold here under the brand names Botox [onabotulinumtoxin A] and Dysport [abobotulinumtoxin A], was injected into Americans ages 13 to 19 nearly 12,000 times, including some teenagers who got multiple doses." Currently, "nobody knows how many teenagers who get injections of Botox or Dysport are using them for medical rather than aesthetic purposes," because the drugs "can help with physical problems -- like pain in the temporomandibular joint of the jaw -- and improving the patient's looks can be a side effect."