Is it the recession or just male vanity that's to blame for the latest trend in cosmetic surgery for men? Grant Woodward reports.
WHAT do Dragons' Den millionaire Duncan Bannatyne, hearthrob George Clooney and U2 frontman Bono have in common?
All three having gone under the knife in recent years to remove tired-looking eye bags.
And it seems it's catching on.
Cosmetic surgery clinics in Leeds report a massive increase in demand for the procedure – known as blepharoplasty – among men.
Latest figures from Transform, which has a surgery in Roundhay, shows a staggering 102 per cent increase, year-on-year, for the procedure among its male customers.
And some are putting its popularity down to the fact that men are increasingly desperate to look young and energetic to protect themselves in the workplace.
Surgeon Dr Lorraine Ishak said: "Job losses have begun and more men are realising that they need to smarten up and look alert to stand out from the crowd.
"Today this goes beyond just wearing a smart suit – a tired-looking man will still look tired even with a sharp haircut and clean shave.
"It's important to project a positive, can-do attitude at all times."
Eye bag removal reshapes the upper and lower eyelids. But it's not cheap.
It costs around 4,000 and is the third most popular cosmetic procedure for men after rhinoplasty (nose job) and liposuction.
To correct lower eye bags, a fine incision is made just below the eyelash line and the excess fat and skin is removed.
Upper eyelids are corrected by the removal of a strip of skin in the natural crease of the eyelid.
It sounds drastic but there are a steady stream of men paying to have it done.
John Ryan, chairman of MYA – which stands for Make Yourself Amazing – and has a clinic in Lisbon Street in Leeds city centre, says he is considering having the surgery done himself.
"I'm 58 and thinking of having my eyelids done because they are starting to hood over.
"Male cosmetic surgery has always been around and I think the recession has helped make it even more popular.
"Men are thinking they've got to look good to get a good job. It's a competitive world out there and if you look good you feel confident and you tend to get on a lot better."
But not everyone who has had the procedure done has been pleased with the results.
Michael Aspel had surgery to remove the dark bags from under his eyes, but now regrets it. He said he wasn't trying to look younger but wanted to make life easier for camera crews, who complained he looked as if he had been punched in the face.
"It was a mistake and I am ashamed of it," he said. "When I woke up, it was the most devastating experience. I thought, where is the real me? Where have I gone? I can only hope my old depraved and haunted look will return as soon as possible."
When cosmetic surgery goes right... and wrong
The good...Duncan Bannatyne
The entrepreneur and Dragons' Den misery says he's 'not ashamed' he's had surgery to remove the bags under his eyes.
Two years ago he said: "I'm 57 years old and I first had my eyes done 15 years ago."
He also says he'd quite happily go back for more.
The bad...Mickey Rourke
Former boxer Mickey reckons the pummellings he took in the ring messed up his once good looks.
Trouble is, whoever took the knife to him did just as much damage.
"I had my nose broken twice. I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone," he said. "But I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together."
The ugly...Michael Jackson
Ok, where do we start? Jacko's rumoured to have had countless operations including any number of nose jobs, chin implants and cheek reworkings.
Not to mention getting whiter by the year.
In 2004 the King of Pop's plastic surgeon told how he fashioned him a new nose out of part of his ear.
Michael, however, still claims he's only had two procedures done on his nose and nothing else.