Plastic surgeons and doctors offering anti-ageing and aesthetic treatments count increasing numbers of business people among their clients. What's behind the trend? And what does it say about corporate Britain?

Would you have your teeth whitened if it meant you'd get promoted more quickly? Would you consider Botox if it would make the difference between winning and losing a key contract? What about a little bit of surgery around the eyes if it would double the size of your bonus?

Recent research suggests that such issues are playing on the minds of directors. When asked last month whether they would consider such cosmetic treatments to boost their career or business, 40 per cent of members of the Institute of Directors admitted that they would.

In 2005, a survey by the London Guildhall University revealed that, on average, unattractive men earn 15 per cent less than those considered attractive, while plain women earn 11 per cent less than pretty ones. Looking good can, it seems, boost your bank balance as well as your self-esteem. And, since we seem to equate beauty with youth, that means people feel under pressure to look younger and to try to turn back time.

"There is no question that in the workplace, as everywhere else in society, facial discrimination exists," says Rajiv Grover, Harley Street surgeon and secretary of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). "Once, age and experience were considered the most important attributes when considering the right candidate for a job. Now, potential and stamina are equally important. So being young, or at least looking young, is essential for success."

Cary Cooper, Director columnist and Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School, agrees. "We live in a multi-media, youth-orientated age where looks are important. Whether you're speaking to potential employers, clients or even your colleagues, you need to feel confident about yourself and need to look capable."

A report from market analysts Datamonitor reckoned that spending on cosmetic procedures in 2006 in the UK alone hit nearly £500m and they estimate that by 2011, British consumers will be spending a staggering £1.476bn a year on the pursuit of the body beautiful.

In particular a new generation of "lunch-hour" procedures, which promise to make you look healthier and younger in the time it takes to nip out for a sandwich, are proving popular.

No statistics are kept about exactly who is splashing their cash, but Mike Comins, a cosmetic doctor who specialises in non-invasive treatments, has no doubt that the figures are as likely to be boosted by finance directors as footballers' wives. At his Knightsbridge practice he tends to a steady stream of professional men and women, all seeking a quick "lunchtime" fix.

"I see a lot of bankers and City workers who can't afford the downtime that major surgery would demand and don't really want the dramatic effects that it would give them. They're looking for quick, effective treatments that make them look like they've had a good night's sleep. They don't want people to remark on huge changes, they just want to be seen as relaxed, fit and healthy."

The treatments that are most in demand in his clinic are Botox and LaserLipo, a new form of liposuction that can be done under local anaesthetic in under an hour (see below).

According to Comins, most of his patients are not motivated by narcissism, but by the impact that such procedures have on their working lives. "It's not a vanity thing," he explains. "Given the choice, they probably wouldn't have it done for themselves, but they do it because they find that it changes the way colleagues and employees relate to them."

So is the boom in cosmetic treatments being driven by corporate Britain? Julia Middleton, chief executive of Common Purpose, a company that works on leadership development, thinks not: "I totally reject the idea that the corporate world is demanding this of people," she says.

She believes that the ability to accept people as they are (provided they can do the job and work well with others) is a strength for a business leader. "There is a basic level at which you [the employee] have to play the game. You can be you, but you have to bend a little. But I don't think asking someone to totally compromise themselves can ever be a good thing at a time when our leaders are expected to have values."

Peter Impey, 32, a group account director at one of Europe's largest healthcare PR firms, had treatment last year. He believes the decision was important for his career, but sees it very much as a personal choice. "I work in quite a pressurised environment—I work long hours, don't get as much sleep as I should and I live in a fast-paced city. That sort of stress starts to take its toll after a while, and I noticed I wasn't looking my best. In my line of work, presentation is important and as I've always had quite an open-minded attitude towards cosmetic enhancement, I decided to do something about it."

Last December, Impey went to a Harley Street aesthetics practice. His main concerns were the frown lines at the bridge of his nose and the lines that ran from the side of his nose towards the mouth. He was treated with a filler (see below) called Restylane that was injected under the skin to plump out the lines. "I can't quantify how it has had an impact on my career, I just know that it helped me regain a confidence that I didn't have before and that can't help but come across. I certainly feel more successful," he says.

According to the Datamonitor report, the fastest-growing area of cosmetic surgery has been these minimally invasive procedures. But this rise, combined with new surgical techniques that mean faster recovery times and subtler, more natural results, has also fuelled a boom in scalpel-based surgery. The 2007 BAAPS audit showed an annual rise of 12 per cent in the number of procedures carried out, while the quantity of facelifts performed had shot up by 36 per cent.

"Before there was nothing between a face cream and a facelift," explains Grover. "Now people can dip their toes in the water with several non-invasive procedures, so the decision to go under the knife doesn't seem nearly so drastic."

Four years ago, property developer Victor Alexander, now 55, began to be dissatisfied with the face he saw in the mirror. "As you get older, you see these young kids coming into the industry who are fighting fit and you have to be able to compete with them. I knew that I could do it, but I wasn't sure that my face said I could. I had bags around my eyes that made me look tired all the time and I felt very self-conscious about them. It's like having a poorly ironed shirt—you sit through meetings worrying that people are looking at the creases rather than listening to you." He went to a Harley Street surgeon and had surgery on both his upper and lower lids. "There's no question in my mind that it was the right thing to do. It's like wearing a sharp suit or a great pair of shoes. You know you look good and it gives you confidence," he says.

Alexander has since had regular Botox shots and freely admits that he would have no qualms about further surgery. "What's interesting is that nobody talks about it in the UK. In the US, everyone is full of what they've had done, where they had it done. Here, nobody talks about it. That doesn't mean it's not going on. I was teased for being vain when I had my surgery but those same guys are the ones who wanted the name of my surgeon."

But is the approach of US-style image-consciousness to be welcomed? Middleton thinks not. She recounts an experience she had talking to female American directors.

"I was going to give a presentation at a big conference in Cambridge full of female business leaders from the US. On the way I slipped, tore my trousers and hurt my knee. I had the choice to go home or to go and make the speech. I chose to make the speech. Halfway through, I stopped because I realised the audience were not listening to what I was saying. They were looking at the hole in my trousers. I started talking to them and they all told me that if they had turned up to work with a hole in their trousers, their career would be over."

She continues: "Listening to them talking about the burden they felt to look like something that they are not, and the angst that this caused them, was extraordinary. There are very few situations that I can't cope with but I could never be successful in the US because I can't wear make-up. However talented I am, I will never succeed. It seems to me an extraordinary proposition that one's talent should matter so little."

Perhaps she shouldn't be too worried, though. Cooper believes the current obsession with youth and good looks may be short-lived. "I have a feeling that the current credit crunch might well be accompanied by a backlash against the youth-orientated culture. Many of the ideas that have led to financial crises over the past few decades were generated by a young populace that didn't look at the potential for long-term problems. Age and experience could well become fashionable again."

So, perhaps you should think twice before you book that eyelid surgery.

Popular treatments: the top seven

1. Cosmetic dentistry
Just about every dentist in the country now offers some form of aesthetic treatment. At the top end, veneers cost from around £500 a tooth and invisible braces anything from £2,000-£4,000. Basic whitening costs from around £300. The latest laser-assisted whitening techniques boast that after just an hour in the chair, patients leave with teeth that are on average eight shades whiter.

2. Botox
Botox, or botulinum toxin, works by temporarily—it lasts around four months—paralysing muscles to prevent wrinkles being formed. It is often used in this way around the forehead and eyes. Most dermatologists rate it as a gold standard treatment, because it's quick, effective, relatively inexpensive (it costs from £250), and adverse reactions are rare. Botox can also be used to help prevent excess sweating, in the hands or armpits, as it blocks the nerves that stimulate sweat production.

3. Fillers
Fillers are products that are injected into the skin to help bulk it up. The most commonly used ones now are stabilised forms of hyaluronic acid (from around £300), a substance that occurs naturally in the body and breaks down harmlessly over a period of about 18 months. The latest techniques use fillers under the eyes to alleviate dark circles and tear troughs, on the backs of the hands to create a plumper, more youthful look, and around the face to help lift the corners of the mouth or eyes.

4. Hair Transplants
The follicularly challenged now have more than just a spritz of Regaine to turn to. From prescription drugs that help prevent hair loss, to massage and laser treatments to stimulate the scalp, there's a wealth of options. At the very top end is follicular transplantation (from £1,500)—essentially taking individual follicles from somewhere they won't be missed—like the back of the head, and implanting them in the bald area. This is usually done under local anaesthetic but it can take up to three months to see normal hair growth.

5. Eyelid surgery
Known technically as a blepharoplasty (from around £3,000), this is a major operation performed under a general anaesthetic that helps remove folds of skin from the upper eyelids and deep creases under the lower lids. Cuts are made into the natural lines and creases in your eyelids, or, on the lower lid, just beneath the eyelashes so that excess fat and skin can be removed. If you don't want anyone to know, bank on taking at least a week off work.

6. Liposuction
Lipo used to be seriously invasive surgery, with large needles or cannulae inserted through incisions in the skin and used to manually break up fat before sucking it out. But recent advances in technology mean that small areas can be treated, literally in a lunchtime. LaserLipo (from £2,000) uses a tiny laser inserted through a small incision that breaks down fat cells using heat. They can then be either gently sucked out, or are excreted over a period of a few months via the body's natural waste disposal process.

7. Facelift
It's still a big investment of time (you'll probably need to give it at least a week for bruising to subside) and money (from £4,000) but times have changed. The wind tunnel look has gone. The best surgeons now don't just stretch skin, but use fillers to replace lost volume for a more youthful look. Keyhole surgery offers a virtual scar-free result with small incisions made behind the hairline and specially developed instruments and a tiny camera employed to rejuvenate the forehead, eyebrows and eyes.

In the wrong hands, scalpels and syringes can make you look worse. Anyone considering cosmetic surgery should ensure their surgeon is a member of BAAPS. For non-invasive treatments, look for a doctor who is a member of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors. Ideally, bookings should be made on the strength of personal recommendations.