Business & Tech

Botox Mom Case Raises Questions, Says Loma Linda Doctor

Botox is given to children, but not for cosmetic reasons, says Loma Linda Physician Dr. Subhas Gupta.

It has become the stuff of controversy.

Did Kerry Campbell/Sheena Upton, mother of an 8-year-old daughter, inject her child with the pharmaceutical drug Botox?

That is now under investigation as the debate is on as to whether or not the story was even real.

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But quietly, without much fanfare, Botox has been used on children with very serious spastic conditions, said Dr. Subhas Gupta, MD, PHD Chair, Academic Administration, Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Division Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.

“Do I have concerns about using Botox in kids? No, I actually think Botox can be used safely in children if it’s done appropriately and for the right indications,” Gupta said during a recent phone interview. “Cosmetic (reasons) in children is not appropriate.”

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Earlier this month, a woman who had initially identified herself as Kerry Campbell, and now claims to be Sheena Upton, told ABC News' “Good Morning America” that she injected her child with Botox so that the youngster could effectively compete in beauty pageants.

The story mushroomed into a controversy so large, Child Protective Services removed the child from the home. The woman is now claiming the whole thing was made up and that she was paid to by a news organization to act as Campbell to create the story.

If nothing else, Gupta said, the story has sparked legitimate debate about the issue.

The children under his care who have received Botox have had conditions such as tightly clenched fists they cannot unclench. Or they have limbs, such as an arm, that is constantly bent, he said

Measured amounts are used in these cases -- only what is needed to be effective.

The reality is, Gupta said, Botox is meant for adults as defined by the Federal Food and Drug Administration. And the FDA defines adult as 21 and older. Not 18. This story also points another issue with Botox, he said.

“This particular use, which is for cosmetic use, there is actually no established understanding that it works or that it won’t damage some of the muscle growth of the muscle that is temporarily paralyzed,” Gupta said.

Of course the biggest concern is the dosing issue, he said.

“Botox comes in 100 unit vials,” Gupta said. “And the safe use of Botox, means using less than 50 units per patient per 90 day period. That’s a well, well established number. Now we do that in adults and we assume that all the adults weight over 100 pounds.”

And doses should absolutely be administered by a physician, Gupta said.

“My understanding of this case is that the mother was administering the doses,” Gupta said.

This is very risky, he said. As physicians, their goal is to educate patients about the full effects of Botox.

It can cause gastrointestinal upset that Gupta said is, hopefully, temporary. There is the risk of developing very bad stomach flu. And the more Botox you get, the greater the chance of suffering side effects, he said.

It is also very common for people to develop headaches after treatment if they receive Botox somewhere in the area of the face.

One of the greater risks is when the Botox is injected into a bad or “inappropriate” spot, he said.

“When someone sees a wrinkle somewhere and does not have the appropriate education to know that if you paralyze the muscle in that area, they can cause, for example, their cheek to droop or an eyelid to close when you want to open it,” he said. “There are some people who are simply allergic to the substance and develop bruises wherever they are injected.”

So far, there have been no reports that the child has suffered ill effects. But the controversy continues to brew. Authorities continue to investigate the mother’s original claims and ABC News is investigating if they were deceived.


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