THERE'S nothing like a good facial to beat the blues.

And if Irish women are anything to go by, there's nothing like a good facelift to beat the recession.

Older women are taking the step in a bid to keep up with their younger counterparts in the hunt for jobs.

According to some of the country's top surgeons, the women are shunning traditional reconstruction surgery, which involves long recovery periods, in favour of minimally invasive procedures.

With jobs becoming scarcer as the recession continues, competition between those searching for a job is heating up and non-invasive facelifts are an easy way to boost confidence.

Dr Mukesh Lalloo, of the Cosmetic Minor Surgery Centre, said that less invasive procedures are becoming more popular as an increasing number of people cannot afford the recovery time associated with open surgery, but still want the same results.

"Threads have taken off hugely, mostly because no downtime is required. We simply put volume in droopy areas of the face, which looks much more natural and you don't have that pulled, hollowed out look that you get with a traditional facelift,' said Dr Lalloo.

"It's the three dimensional approach. It's used under local anaesthetic and there are no big risks associated with it or any operation required.

"In the current climate, who can afford to take off three or four weeks from their work or social network?

"People don't want huge changes anyway, they want to look appropriate for their age, not 20 years younger," he said.

As more information about cosmetic options has become available, surgery is fast becoming the norm and light facelifts have skyrocketed in popularity.

"In the current economic downturn, people are more educated about the options out there," said Dr Lalloo.

scarring

"It has taught us to think of facelifts in a different way -- not just pulling the skin but understanding that the volume changes with age," he said.

And while most people may be struggling to make ends meet, surgeons are still seeing hundreds of women willing to fork out the €3,000 fee in the name of their appearance.

Sue Woodall, the patient advisor at the Dundrum Medical Centre, said they have also seen an increase in demand for this type of facelift.

"They certainly have become very popular, there's no bruising or scarring which makes it appealing.

"One day we had a client come in and get a neck lift, and she went out for her 50th birthday later that night and nobody even noticed she had work done," Ms Woodall said.

Dr Lalloo stressed that technological advancements in the cosmetics industry have made surgery much more accessible.

"We can do things now with a syringe and the right product that we couldn't have dreamed of 10 years ago.

"It's becoming more and more popular. It's less invasive, and leaves shorter scars. Nobody wants a big drama anymore and it's our job to offer that," he said.

hnews@herald.ie

- Caitlin McBride