We asked 9 New Yorkers how often they get Botox: ‘There’s been a dramatic shift’

Amid a boom in transparency surrounding cosmetic procedures, the once taboo tweakments to age gracefully now seem more pervasive than ever as youth chasers integrate popular injectables, like Botox and filler, into their beauty regimens.

“There’s been a dramatic shift from people viewing these things as a form of cosmetic surgery or a medical thing to a form of grooming,” celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, founder of Manhattan’s PFRANKMD, told The Post.

“People look at it as a form of grooming, like getting their hair done, like getting their nails done.”

Now, there’s an “overwhelming normalization that it’s OK to do things cosmetic,” he added — and New Yorkers seem to agree.

Beauty enthusiasts in the Big Apple are among the ever-growing population of people adopting cosmetic treatments into their regular maintenance routine.

Gillian Del Zotto, 35

Gillian Del Zotto never thought she would admit to getting Botox, much less publicize the fact on social media and in The Post.

‘It’s just the norm.’

Gillian Del Zotto

The 35-year-old first got Botox about a decade ago when she believed the procedure was still a bit taboo.

“I definitely kept quiet originally,” the mother of two admitted to The Post. “Everybody used to be scared to talk about it, but now I feel like it’s just the norm. Everybody’s sharing it.”

After initially lying to her family and friends about her cosmetic procedures, the Tribeca resident eventually decided that it was nothing to be ashamed of.

“It’s becoming such a normal thing to do that I feel I have no problem talking about it anymore,” the content creator said.

Del Zotto admitted that “it does get a little bit of a bad rep” but believes that’s mostly “because sometimes it’s a little overdone.”

But after years of baking in the sun as a teen and trying countless makeup products, she’s ready to try anything to regain her youthful appearance. Del Zotto never leaves the house without sunscreen, rotates red-light therapy masks at home and regularly visits her dermatologists for laser facials.

“I will do whatever it takes,” she said.

Hannah Belisle, 39

New Jersey mom Hannah Belisle was inspired by a friend to get Botox last year despite her fear of the dreaded “frozen face,” a hallmark of too much ‘tox.

‘I feel like 25-year-old Hannah, who didn’t have wrinkles.’

Hannah Belisle

She began with tweaks and regular maintenance every three to four months, but now, the self-proclaimed fitness junkie says the injections are an “extension” of her wellness lifestyle, just like nutrition, hydration and exercise.

“I’ve never gone to get Botox with the expectation that I would achieve some ideal of beauty or look any kind of way,” she told The Post. “It makes me feel like I have returned to how I feel on the inside.”

Belisle, who works in digital marketing and fund-raising for a nonprofit in Manhattan, said she no longer looks “haggard” thanks to her regular injections.

“I don’t feel like a tired, 40-year-old, full-time working mom of two,” she added. “I feel like 25-year-old Hannah who didn’t have wrinkles and worry lines all over her face.”

Nikki Haskell, 82

Socialite and TikTok star Nikki Haskell, 82, told The Post she’s been getting Botox “since it was invented” — the FDA approved it as a cosmetic treatment in 2002.

‘I am vain to the point where I hope that I always look good.’

Nikki Haskell

“I think my two favorite inventions are my iPhone and Botox,” she quipped.

Haskell splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles but always stops at her dermatologist when she’s back in Manhattan.

“I think it’s become the norm,” she said. “It just sort of became like a part of my beauty routine.”

The “Grandfluencer” — who has amassed nearly half a million followers on TikTok giving advice to younger generations — encourages young women to begin a beauty routine as early as possible.

“You’ve got to take care of yourself, you know?” Haskell said. “Everybody makes their own choices. Some people go through life and they don’t mind that they look older and that they have lines or wrinkles or wherever it is.”

“I am vain to the point where I hope that I always look good.”

“It’s all about how you feel about yourself. Some people don’t care. I do care,” said Haskell. “I always want to look good. You know you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So I always look good. I am always camera-ready.”

Tammy Smith, 29

Tammy Smith had her first cosmetic procedure done when she was 21 years old, adding filler under her eyes to get rid of bags she’d hated her whole life.

‘It’s like getting a manicure-pedicure for me.’

Tammy Smith

The mother of two, who splits her time between New York City and Dallas, now gets Botox every three to four months and filler about once a year — convenient for her since her husband owns several Upkeep medical spas in Texas.

“It’s something that very easily just becomes a routine,” she told The Post. “Now it’s like getting a manicure-pedicure for me.”

The housewife and student also maintains her appearance with microneedling, chemical peels or “something with radio frequency” about every four to six weeks.

“It is a form of self-care for me,” Smith said. “I always had to use a lot of under-eye concealer, and now I hardly use any. It’s convenient, and I just feel a lot more confident. I don’t feel the need to wear makeup. I feel more comfortable with myself.”

Aimee Denaro Becker, 46

Manhattan mom Aimee Denaro Becker, 46, gets ready in about two minutes.

‘I just don’t care that I’m aging. It just doesn’t matter to me.’

Aimee Denaro Becker

“My beauty routine is not really having one,” the real estate broker told The Post. “I’m probably the only woman over 40 like this.”

Most of her friends have been getting Botox and fillers since they were in their 30s, but Denaro Becker doesn’t mind looking her age.

“I just don’t care that I’m aging. It just doesn’t matter to me. There are so many other things that are more important and so many other things I’d rather spend my money on,” she admitted.

“Every so often I glance at one of those magnifying mirrors. I’m like, ‘Oh wow. I look different than I did 10 years ago,’ but it doesn’t bother me to the extent of taking the time to make an appointment to go there and pay the money for it,” Denaro Becker said.

“I don’t think I look young for my age by any stretch. But I think I look my age, and I’m OK with that.”

Keresse Dorcely, 44

Getting Botox and filler has become a girls’ day activity for Keresse Dorcely, who was first introduced to the cosmetic procedures last year at her pal’s “Botox and bubbly” party. From there, she was “hooked.”

‘I just wanted to look like myself.’

Keresse Dorcely

“I’m not ashamed of my age. I didn’t want to look like I was trying to be young. I just wanted to look like myself,” Dorcely, who gets Botox as well as filler in her cheeks and smile lines, told The Post. “After that first service, I was like, ‘Oh, I do just look like a happy, healthy, rested version of myself.’ “

Now, the West Orange, New Jersey, mom of three will hit the med spa with her girlfriends for Botox dates after coffee or lunch, and considers it part of her self-care routine.

“When the opportunity presents itself, and we can be intentional about self-care as it relates to our mental health of needing adult time and friendship time and self-care in terms of skin care — when those things can align and we can do it together — that’s really fun,” Dorcely said.

Liz Lindenmeier, 30

In her mid-20s, Liz Lindenmeier didn’t always prioritize “high-level” cosmetic treatments, nor was she wearing sunscreen “all the time.”

‘I’m prioritizing my health.’

Liz Lindenmeier

But when Lindenmeier, the founder of the nightlife-inspired workout club Lit + Lean, started to see signs of aging on her face, she looked into Botox.

“It’s interesting, too, because being in the fitness profession and working a lot with one-on-one clients, I’m always like, ‘Let’s start from the inside, do the work, and then you’re automatically going to look good and feel good,’” the Astoria, Queens, resident told The Post.

In a way, she said, Botox is the same.

“I’m prioritizing my health in a way that is something that just so happens to be my face and it makes me feel good, and I kind of do better [in] day-to-day life.”

Now, she visits Dr. Frank for a Botox refresh every six months, finding that it not only alleviates her migraine symptoms but also boosts her confidence. It’s important for her, however, to do things “correctly” on her face — the injections as a purely “medical thing” rather than a casual addition to her routine.

Meghan Doran, 25

Like many of her Gen Z peers, Meghan Doran, 25, spends hours watching skincare tutorials online and said her skincare routine is “pretty complex” and expensive.

‘I feel like once you start, you can’t stop.’

Meghan Doran

“Looking at my cabinet now it’s, like, ‘Wow, I really just spent that much money on these little jars?’” Doran told The Post.

After years of fighting acne as a swimmer and constantly being told that people assumed she was older than she was, Doran decided the creams and serums weren’t enough.

She got her first Botox injection two years ago after learning that her older cousins — many of whom work in the medical field — were doing it. However, she hid it from older family members “would be completely appalled.”

“People see Botox as a commitment more than it really is. My face is going back to the way it was originally, before I even did Botox every six months, I’m not permanently changing my face forever,” Doran defended.

And now that she’s started, she’s hooked.

“It’s the marketing behind Botox that is getting everybody. I feel like once you start, you can’t stop,” she admitted. “Even if there were a time where I had to say, look, ‘I can not afford Botox every four months or whatever,’ I would definitely make the budget for it.”

Ari Botsford, 34

Personal chef and caterer Ari Botsford first tried Botox when she had cysts removed from around her eyes, paying $400 for the injectibles. Since it lasted only six months, it wasn’t worth it for her.

‘If you want to do it, go for it.’

Ari Botsford

“I don’t care what people put in their face. It just doesn’t stick around long enough for me to justify the cost,” the Queens mom told The Post.

After seeing how out of control it can get for some, Botsford doesn’t think she would have stuck with Botox even if the results were longer-lasting or cheaper.

“If you want to do it, go for it. I don’t have a moral thing on it. It’s more like, ‘I don’t want to look like the f–king Crypt Keeper and become reliant on it,’” Botsford said.

“I know a lot of women who tend to use Botox as a kind of balm or bandaid for deeper issues going on and it’s just like, ‘Girl, love yourself. Save the money for therapy co-pays.’”