It is a new year and some people are facing it with new faces.

Botox jabs, lip fillers, facelifts and even liposuction seem to be recession-proof as plastic surgeons continue to see an increase of at least 20 per cent in client bookings timed for the year-end and new year festivities.

'Tis the season for cosmetic work to be done, say six well-known plastic surgeons that LifeStyle spoke to, and the recession is not about to put a dampener on those who want to look their best this year.

It does not come cheap.

Botox shots start at $700 and can go up to $2,000. Fillers, used usually around the lips and smile lines, can cost up to $1,500 per syringe. Facelifts start at $8,000 and liposuction, depending on the area, costs between $2,500 and $24,000.

Dr Marco Faria Correa, 54, a Brazil-trained plastic surgeon who has a practice in East Shore Medical Centre, says: 'People might not be able to buy their dream car anymore but they are still willing to invest less than 10 per cent of that to get work done so that they feel good about themselves.'

The year-end, says Camden Medical Centre plastic surgeon Woffles Wu, 48, is the peak period for cosmetic surgery.

'People come for their facial touch-ups so that they look good in time for the festive celebrations or they use the holiday time to recuperate after surgery,' he says.

For some clients, a trip to the plastic surgeon is a definite necessity before the festive season.

'I look fresher and better, and I feel more confident when I attend my parties,' says a 33-year-old events management coordinator, who wanted to be known only as Lucy.

Her visits to cosmetic surgeon Martin Huang, 47, at The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic in Paragon are a must during the first week of December.

To prepare for the slew of events and festivities, she gets Botox injections, fillers and eyebrow lifts just so she looks her best. She usually spends about $6,000.

She adds that she has not turned up at parties just because she was not able to schedule an appointment with Dr Huang.

For Julieanne, a housewife in her mid-40s, a trip to Dr Correa's clinic is also a necessity whenever she has parties or big gatherings with friends and family.

She makes regular visits three to four times a year and tries to schedule a consultation earlier if there is an upcoming party.

'I always make sure I am ready. Going to his clinic before an event is like brushing my teeth in the morning,' she says.

She usually gets Botox injections to get rid of the lines near her eyes and on her forehead.

'It makes me feel better about myself, and my friends and family think I look fantastic,' she says.

Dr Huang, 47, says requests to look good for parties during this period are common and it is mostly women in their 20s to 50s who get these procedures done in time for the festive season.

But according to Dr Wu, men are getting in on the action as well. They make up at least 35 per cent of his clientele.

He says: 'We might be in the middle of an economic turmoil but people still do want to look good and feel good for the new year.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Jan 4, 2009.