Child welfare services investigate pageant mother over Botox injections given to her eight-year-old daughter



San Francisco authorities are investigating a mother who says she gives anti-wrinkle Botox injections to her eight-year-old daughter who appears in beauty contests.

California mum Kerry Campbell has come under fire after admitting she injects her young daughter Britney with Botox to get rid of 'wrinkles' that appear on the girl's face when she smiles.

Officials from the city's Human Services Agency will interview Ms Campbell and Britney after the mother's comments on ABC's Good Morning America.

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Shocking: Ms Campbell marks Britney's face before injecting her with Botox

Risky: Experts say the treatment may well cause psychological damage

She said she got the idea to give her daughter the injections from other pageant mothers.



San Francisco Human Services Agency spokesperson Trent Rohrer told the San Francisco Chronicle: 'It’s pretty unusual for a mum to be injecting an eight-year-old with Botox, and certainly is grounds for an investigation.'

He said his office received numerous calls from people concerned about Britney's well-being after the TV appearance.



Botox injections can be painful and are not recommended for anyone under the age of 18.

Bruised: Eight-year-old Britney recovers with an ice pack after the treatment

Painful: Ms Campbell claims the Botox is not damaging her daughter

Ms Campbell also told the TV programme that she waxes her daughter's upper legs in case she hits puberty and any 'fluffy hair' starts to appear.

Experts said the child is now at risk of long-lasting psychological problems because of the beauty treatments.



Ms Campbell, a part-time beautician who also administers Botox on herself, claimed she only gave her daughter the treatment because when they were applying for pageants, and that her child asked her for it.

She said: 'We were getting into the pageants. I knew she was complaining about her face, having wrinkles, and things like that. When I brought it up to Britney she was all for it.

'She had watched me do it before. So when we first did it she was fine with it.'

In defence: Despite the furore, Ms Campbell insists she is a good parent

When they spot 'wrinkles', Ms Campbell gives her daughter five injections in three different locations on her face.

Ms Campbell would not comment on where she buys the expensive treatment from, saying only that she had 'a trusted source where I get it. He is a behind-the-scene doctor'.

Ms Campbell added: 'The few times that we did it, it would lessen the lines. 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. Just on the lines.'

Ms Campbell also admitted to waxing her daughter in the name of pageant success.



'They call it little fluffy hair,' she said. 'They get judged on all that stuff. It's a tough world, the pageant world, I'm telling you. The kids are harsh.'

Pageant: Britney all made up at one of the child beauty competitions

Eight-year-old Britney added: 'I just don't think it's ladylike to have hair on your legs. I did that one time. It was super, super hard. It hurts.

Asked if she would like to be waxed again, the child quickly said: 'No.'

Experts said Kerry was at serious risk of damaging her daughter for life, both physically and psychologically.

Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy said: 'When I first heard this story, I think my initial reaction is to be a little bit in disbelief, and a little bit horrified. There's a lot of psychological damage that can be caused.'

The girl's mother, however, insists she is a good mother and says she is not doing anything that other pageant mums would not do.

She said: 'I got influenced by some of the mums when we went to one of the pageants. They were telling me about the lines on her face. A lot of the mums are giving their kids Botox. It happens.

'I have a normal child. It's not breaking her spirit. She's happy. She runs around. She's smart.

'I'm a great mother. I've taken care of her by myself my whole life and nobody can really tell me what I'm doing is wrong. Because it's me. I live in my shoes. And she lives in hers. She's a happy kid and that's the bottom line.'

Britney added: 'It hurts sometimes. It makes me nervous. But I get used to it.



'My friends think it's cool I have all the treatments and they want to be like me. I check every night for wrinkles, when I see some I want more injections. They used to hurt, but now I don't cry that much.'

ABC News's chief health and medical editor, Dr Richard Besser, said: '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.'

Dr 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 because of safety issues.

He added: '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.'