BOTOX: Beauty or Neccesity? Singer Charice Under Fire for Cosmetic Treatments

The popular, round-faced teen singer Charice says she prepared for her debut on "Glee," the hit Fox TV show, by getting BOTOX? and and Thermage "to look fresh on camera," even though her publicist said the BOTOX? wasn't for cosmetic enhancement, but for muscle pain related to TMJ. The internet has been abuzz with reactions to this, for multiple reasons. Some are shocked that an already famous teen would choose cosmetic alterations--at 18, it's hard to believe that wrinkles are a problem. There's also controversy about why Charice decided to have the procedures. Charice's publicist insists that her treatment was medical, however. BOTOX? has been used to treat some non-cosmetic concerns like excessive sweating and TMJ, the condition that Charice was reportedly using it for. Located where the jawbone meets the skull, the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) is used when you talk, eat, and swallow. Some people suffer from headaches or jaw pain if the joint is displaced or overworked. BOTOX? is thought to relieve jaw tension by disabling the muscles so they wont engage in the strong, often unconscious jaw movements that can cause these troublesome headaches and pain. BOTOX? isn't FDA approved for this use, but is being tested for it. Charice underwent BOTOX? injections and a a 30-minute Thermage skin-tightening treatment on camera. While her publicist says these were medically necessary, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo told ABS-CBN television Charice did it to make her "naturally round face" more narrow. "You chew gum and it turns out to be a favorite super-exercise for these muscles, your chewing muscles. So we will show you, this muscle here it's a bit protruding," Belo said while she touched Charice's face. "It's like a ball, so we are going to BOTOX? that in order to get it flat so she will have a cuter face ... we want to give you the apple cheek look because it's cute, right?" Whether or not Charice chose cosmetic treatments for medical needs, controversy surrounding cosmetic procedures, especially regarding celebrities and teens, will continue to be a popular topic among media and fans alike.