More Job Seekers Opting For Cosmetic Procedures

In this troubled economy, you may be thinking about beefing up your resume or adding to your portfolio, but how about going under the knife? As CBS 2’s Mai Martinez found, hundreds of people in the Chicago area are turning to plastic surgery to keep or land a job.

In his 10 years as facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Dayan has had no shortage of patients in his downtown Chicago office. But these days, Dr. Dayan says more and more are looking for an edge in the challenging job market.

“A good 10 to 15 percent of my patients who come in now are requesting treatments in order to make them do better in the workplace,” said Dr. Dayan.

Dr. Dayan says his patients range from CEOs to receptionists to school teachers, and especially sales people. David Wilk, 27, is one of them.

“I didn’t want my nose to be the center of my thoughts during an interview or during a presentation, and with working in sales, I knew that couldn’t be a distraction, so I really wanted to take care of the situation,” said Wilk.

Five weeks after his rhinoplasty, Wilk is excited about the results.

“One thing that I know, especially working in sales, is that your face, you represent the company,” said Wilk, who is hoping to land a better sales job.

He is already noticing a difference in his interviews with potential employers.

“I can go in there and honestly say, with confidence, that I am here to represent your company, and looking wise, I have to look the part, and in sales that’s very important,” said Wilk.

Not all patients opt for surgery. Dr. Dayan says the most popular recession treatment is actually Botox.

At his office, about 10 patients a week ask for the treatment; many right before a job interview.

For 24-year-old Jack Arkins, Botox not only cleared up his acne, it gave his confidence a boost on job interviews.

“Coming out of college, you feel like you have a lot more competition because people are more qualified, and you don’t have as much work experience, so you want every edge you can get,” said Arkins.

While many patients choose Botox because they feel it makes them look younger, Arkins embraces the maturity he believes the treatment gave him.

“I definitely feel that it makes me look older because I don’t have the acne, so they’re not noticing, ‘oh, he has acne. He must be really young and under-qualified,'” he said.

But Dr. Dayan says patients shouldn’t give all the credit to the procedures.

“What they don’t recognize is that undergoing these treatments improves their self esteem so much, so that in itself may be one of the reasons why they’re doing better,” said Dr. Dayan.

The treatments aren’t cheap. Dr. Dayan says the average cost of non-surgical procedures ranges from $300 to $2,000. Surgical procedures can set a person back anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000.

Most procedures are considered “elective”, and are therefore not covered by insurance. But many doctors do offer payment plans.

Despite the hefty cost, the patients say it’s worth every penny. They feel it will pay off in the long run, by helping them either keep their job or find a new one.

Reporting: Mai Martinez for CBS at http://cbs2chicago.com/local/plastic.surgery.jobs.2.1612958.html