In a year, I spend about $3,600 on manicures, skin care treatments, haircuts, you name it. To some, that may sound like a lot of money; others might consider it a drop in the bucket. The Great Recession has caused many women — and men — to cut back on their beauty regimens, but few have been willing to forgo their efforts to look better altogether. Some are even feeling pressure to upgrade their looks to maintain their jobs or to beat out younger competitors for new positions, said Lauren Zeifman, a New York City physician associate.

“Patients are not giving this stuff up,” she said. “They want results, and when money is being spent more frugally, they want to invest in treatments that have instant gratification.”

The recession’s impact — or not

No matter how bad the economy, there are some things people won’t live without.

The Zoom teeth whitening system had been the most popular in-office procedure at Dr. G. Edward Rankin’s dental office in Cherry Hill, N.J. But at $400 to $500 a procedure, he has performed only a handful of them over the past two years because of the downturn.

Still, Rankin said, many of his patients are straightening their teeth with Invisalign, which costs $4,500 to $5,000, or getting veneers, which can cost $1,300 per tooth. twice a year. The process costs $800 each time she goes, but “it makes my hair so much more manageable, and I love it,” she said. Laser hair removal is one staple for several women I know. They have spent thousands of dollars for treatments but say it is worth it.

Stacie Ciancarelli of Philadelphia can’t live without Keratin Complex treatment for her hair. “No way would I ever stop doing it,” she said. Even though it runs about $350 per treatment and lasts three to six months, it is “so, so worth it,” Ciancarelli said.

Beauty’s big boom

The average U.S. consumer spent $616 on personal care in 2008, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a 54% increase from 1998 and a 113% surge from 1984, when the bureau first started tracking such data.

Growth in the beauty industry really took off in the late 1990s, when direct-to-consumer advertising of medications, technologies and pharmaceuticals was legalized, said Abigail Brooks, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Boston College.

Education about sun damage has also contributed to the industry’s recent growth, and many are now paying, literally, for what they didn’t know when they were younger.

“Ninety percent of sun damage occurs before you are 21 years old,” said New York City plastic surgeon Alan Matarasso. For some women in their 30s and older, treating that damage has become a never-ending expense.

Stigmas against having cosmetic procedures appear to be loosening over time. According to a survey by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of cosmetic procedures has surged 147% since 1997, when the organization began tracking data. Americans spent almost $10.5 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2009, the organization says.

“We all get older, so every single one of us is a potential consumer for these technologies,” Brooks said.

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