Job hunters get the wrinkles out with free Botox

Some job seekers in Arlington, Va., got a four- to six-month pick-me-up with free Botox injections last week from an area clinic.

That's how long the results of a treatment typically last after the injections to remove skin wrinkles, according to an Associated Press story. While the shots won't make deep skin wrinkles disappear completely, they should smooth wrinkles out enough to give the job hunters more confidence for four to six months.

"It's important when you're feeling down to treat yourself, to get a pick-me-up," said job recruiter Laura Baker. "Whether it's Botox or something else, it's that fresh approach you need."

At $300 to $500 for a single treatment, the free shots were worthwhile to the middle-age job seekers competing with younger applicants.

/>"Age is a handicap," Colleen Delsack, 47, said in the story. Delsack has had her home go into foreclosure in the 18 months since she lost her job as an account executive. She received six small injections to ease fine lines around her eyes and on her forehead.

"There's so much competition," she said. "And we're up against kids coming out of college and not making the salaries that we've had."

Age is a factor in layoff complaints. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that age discrimination complaints are up 30% in the 2008 fiscal year, compared to the previous year.

Like gray hair, wrinkles are experience that people earn, and paralyzing the facial muscles to make lines fade seems like an extreme way to improve your chances of getting hired.