In a slumping economy, men are opting to give themselves an edge in the increasingly competitive job market by undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Plastic surgery for men has risen 9 percent since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Arlington Heights, Ill. Even more popular for guys are minimally invasive treatments, such as Botox, which has risen among males by 40 percent in the past eight years.

At the practice of Dr. Stewart Wang, a board-certified plastic surgeon with offices in Upland and Arcadia, men make up roughly 10 percent of his clientele. Typically, patients are professionals who work in real estate, banking and other financial sectors. "Some of them are seeking a high-power position and have expressed a desire to look well for their age," he said. Others, he finds, are "in between jobs and using it as an opportunity to springboard. They want that competitive edge."

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Photo By Dan Elliott

Dr. Stewart Wang, in his plastic-surgery office in Upland, uses Thermage devices to tighten and restore skin tones.

Blepharoplasty, an anti-aging eyelid procedure that reduces puffiness and sagging skin, is popular among his male patients. Rhinoplasty, in which the structure of the nose is changed for either cosmetic or corrective purposes, is the top male request, Wang said.

Others opt for various body-contouring procedures, such as tummy-tuck surgery or liposuction.

One of Wang's recent patients, requesting anonymity, discussed the decision to improve his appearance when he was thrust back into the job market. "It was directly related to being laid off after the closure of my division," he said. "I was at a large bank that's been in the news lately, and after being laid off I needed to look as fresh as possible for the job search."

Figuring that "no one wants to hire someone who looks fat, tired and unhealthy," he opted to undergo gastric-bypass surgery. He later chose Wang to perform facial liposuction to eliminate a double chin. A skin-tightening treatment marketed as Thermage was the final step.

He said he plans to send out resumes in December -- "so I can be ready for face-to-face meetings in January." The interim period after a layoff is a convenient time to undergo these types of procedures, said Wang, who recommends three to six weeks for recovery.

Other surgeons have gone even further to ensure that their male patients receive the treatment they desire. At Terracina Surgical Arts and Maxillofacial Surgery in Redlands, Dr. Anil P. Punjabi recently completed building a 5,000-square-foot facility that includes a medical spa. "We do have special packages for men there," he said.

At the new center, patients can undergo laser treatments to smooth out facial wrinkles immediately following blepharoplasty, which Punjabi calls his most popular male procedure at a cost of about $4,000. Male hair transplants, often requested by executives, start at about $7,000 at his office.

Plastic-surgery costs fluctuate throughout the United States, depending on the affluence of the area. In Southern California, procedure fees typically are higher near the coast than at Inland practices. Because local surgeons compete with their Hollywood-area counterparts for patients, many offer free consultations and other incentives to attract and retain clients.

"About 30 percent of our patients do financing," Punjabi said. He claims to have an 80 percent to 90 percent approval rating for new patient funding. His recent clients range from a self-employed carpenter to a local engineer -- both requested chin augmentation to enhance themselves personally and professionally. "People are getting laid off, and they're competing with younger people," he said. "They want to put their best face forward."

Michael Powers, chief executive officer of the Rancho Cucamonga-based Web site PlasticSurgery.com, agreed.

"Companies like to hire individuals who have a healthy, youthful-looking appearance, because it adds to the overall image of the company," he said. "Our motto is 'Because beauty is in the details,' and this should hold true for all businesses."

After 23 years in the medical field and 10 years in sales and online marketing, Powers observed, "Every employee represents the energy and vitality of a company, and currently, that is an important fact for a business owner to reckon with." Cosmetic improvement, he finds, is one tool executives use to gain a competitive advantage.

Men often employ their wives or girlfriends to help them research their options. Wang's patient, whose wife accompanied him to the consultation, said that a surgeon's board certification was a top priority. The couple, who "met with five or six surgeons in the Inland Empire," finally settled on Wang because "he had all the right qualifications. There are a lot of people masquerading as plastic surgeons."

Experts typically recommend checking with the American Board of Medical Specialties to verify a surgeon's certification in the plastic-surgery specialty.

Wang's patient advises men to look for honesty and candidness as they screen surgeons.

"You want them to be very forthcoming about what to expect" in terms of the results, recovery period and the surgery itself, he said, stressing the importance of "finding someone who is not there to sell you a medical procedure."