Botox Bailout? (Pass the Syringe)

Is it more bizarre that a local Washington spa had a Botox Bailout party, or that by the end of the event, it seemed like a face full of Botulism might be just what the doctor ordered for out-of-work Americans of a certain age?

The toxins were flowing at the Reveal day spa in Arlington, Virginia, where the owners gave free Botox to the first 50 people through the door with a resume and proof of unemployment. "Everybody knows somebody who's been laid off," said Karina Giglio, Reveal's director of marketing. "Offering free services is something we can do to give back to the community."

With the announcement that unemployment had hit 9.4 percent, it wasn't surprising to see the spa's waiting room teeming with women 15 minutes into the event. At $300 to $500 per session, that's a freebie worth waiting for.

"I'm here to feel better about myself," Wendy (no last name, please), mid-40s, said after an injection to the forehead. "I'm eating better, exercising, trying to take control of my life." The unemployed manager said taking care of herself is one of the few things she can do while waiting for the job market to improve.

Unfortunately, she could be waiting for a while, since the job market facing older workers is sagging, at best.

Polling for last month's AARP Bulletin showed 16 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds said they'd lost a job in the past year, while 25 percent more had their hours cut or were furloughed. With more years on the job, their salaries are often higher than their younger counterparts, and are a tempting target for companies in search of costs to slash.

Beyond job losses, many older workers are also finding their retirement savings reduced or wiped out, and have health needs and costs on the rise. If that's not enough to give a girl wrinkles, what is?

Mari Negron, 49, said she's actively looking for a job for the first time in her career. "Before, people just came to me, but it's different now," said the real estate agent. "I've never seen it this bad." With the local housing market still in a slump, she's looking for a permanent job in customer service because she can't afford to wait for the market to come back around. "I consider myself a successful person, but I feel defeated. And my mortgage isn't going to go down."

Is Botox really going to change that?

It will if it affects a job seeker's attitude, said Laura Baker, a headhunter for Friends & Company. "It's all about your confidence level," she said. "In this market, you have to sell yourself and set yourself apart."

If an injection on your "perma-scowl" makes a difference, then so be it. And if you think Botox is just for the ladies, think again. Giglio said 20 percent of the spa's Botox clients are male executives, mostly in their 50s.

Negron worries that her age puts her between the set-for-life pensioners and Twittering twenty-somethings, and that the dates on her resume take it out of the pile in the first round of employers' cuts. "It hurts you on paper."

After waiting for nearly an hour, Negron's Botox went between her eyebrows and along the laugh lines that outline her mouth. Later, she wrote in an e-mail that she also gave a resume to one of the headhunters that Reveal had on site to fill internal corporate positions.

It turns out they're hiring.