Moms are getting back-to-school Botox to look good in pick-up lines
Mom of two Jacqueline Weakley just feels “better” with Botox.
“I’m one of the older moms, comparatively speaking, to some of the other parents at pick up,” the Long Islander, 37, told The Post. “So it kind of just makes me feel a little bit better having it done.”
Refreshing her injectables is part of her first-day-of-school ritual, as her five-year-old gears up to start first grade on Tuesday.
And she’s not the only one: Dr. Stafford Broumand, of NYC-based 740 Park Plastic Surgery, has seen a jaw-dropping number of patients request Botox and filler as the new school year approaches — in fact, he said the demand has “quadrupled.”
“Being in New York City, it’s just kind of part of a package,” mom of three Candace, who declined to provide her last name but confessed to her back-to-school Botox routine, said.
“Just like moms will go out and go to Saks to pick up a new handbag for the season, they’re like, ‘Okay, I need to get my hair done. I also need to get my face tweaked and maintained and taken care of.’”
Dr. David Shokrian, of Millennial Plastic Surgery, told The Post he had to squeeze in 15 to 25 injectable patients daily in recent weeks at his practice in the Upper East Side, where people typically rack up a hefty bill — a rare few dropping as much as $10,000 to $15,000 for their aesthetics upkeep.
“The first couple of weeks of school, especially in September, there’s a lot of school parents activity, a lot of [getting] to know the parents that are in your kids’ classes, the first PTA meetings start to happen,” Shokrian said.
Broumand also suspects his patients specifically want to “look good” to see their friends, who are often the parents of their children’s playground pals.
Both moms concurred that Botox provides the extra confidence boost when surrounded by other glamorous moms.
“It’s always nice to kind of get back into the normal thing with the kids, go back to PTA again, like all the things that you sign up for, and just feeling good about yourself,” Weakley confirmed.
Candace — a 36-year-old with children ages 7, 4 and 2 — always touches up her Botox before “seeing everyone” again after her summer travels.
“It keeps me feeling good,” she said. “When I look in the mirror, even if I have no makeup on that drop-off, I can still look in the mirror and say, ‘Okay, it looks really good. I look rejuvenated and look refreshed.’”
A parent himself, Dr. Alexander Rivkin, of RIVKIN Aesthetics, knows how “worn out” parents can feel — and look.
“Certainly, as a parent, feeling like your kid has sucked your vital juices out of you is not uncommon,” he said with a laugh, noting that Botox is the best way to mask tiredness on the face.
Injecting Botox into eye wrinkles, such as crow’s feet, or filler for under-eye bags can create the appearance of a refreshed, awake profile, however, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of the botulinum toxic for around the eyes. Still, some 4 to 5 million people use Botox annually, statistics show, mostly those in the 40 to 54 age range.
It’s no wonder that during drop-off, a “social time” for fellow parents, they often “want to make an impression” and “bring their best self,” Rivkin said, and they can put their best face forward with a little help from injectables.
“The bottom line is: they want to be more confident.”