The recession has affected nearly every sector of the economy and plastic surgery has felt some changes due to patients who are keeping an eye on their finances, as some have started to seek anti-aging procedures to compete in the job market and others are opting for more affordable, non-invasive surgery, according to Tulsa World. The recession has affected nearly every sector of the economy and plastic surgery has felt some changes due to patients who are keeping an eye on their finances, according to Tulsa World.

Some have started to seek anti-aging procedures to compete in the job market and others are opting for more affordable, non-invasive surgery.

Older job-seekers are trying to look younger in order to compete with their younger counterparts in the job market. Many of these patients are even spending some retirement savings in order to improve their odds of gaining employment.

The somewhat uncertain number of patients has also resulted in competition between plastic surgeons.

A big danger to patients is specialists pretending to be members of non-existent boards or perform procedures for which they're not qualified. Patients seeking to cut costs should be especially careful about board certification and the qualifications of their physicians.

Less invasive options like Botox and injectable fillers are also gaining in popularity. This is partially because they are less expensive than major plastic surgeries and recovery time is often shorter as well.

The news source reports that plastic surgeons on the coasts have been more negatively affected by the recession than inland states such as Oklahoma. Still, slow economic growth across the country has caused many patients to alter their plastic surgery decisions based on their financial situations.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery states that, across the country, there has been only a 2 percent decrease in the number of cosmetic procedures, with a 17 percent decrease in surgical procedures and a 1 percent increase in non-invasive treatments.