I just left a Center for Cosmetic Surgery after receiving a laser treatment to tighten my skin. This isn't my first time for me under the pulse light. I've had three or four other procedures over the past few years to correct tone, fine wrinkles, surface and aging. It is either this or get a face lift and that's not cheap.

The cost for a face lift ranges from $6,000 to $25,000 depending on the locale, experience of the surgeon and the extent of the procedure. Eyelid surgery is also expensive, running from $3000-$5000. But lasers provide a convenient alternative, at low cost, with minimal downtime.

Lasers are remarkably effective in improving appearance without the expense, pain and downtime involved in surgical options. Skin rejuvination which is 2-3 sessions is around $200-$400 per session. A full skin tightening or "laser face lift" runs $1,500-$2,500 with long lasting results. While there is some discomfort in the procedures -- it feels like a rubber band snapping on your face -- it is much less painful than traditional surgery. While the full effects of the procedures can take many weeks, I have noticed improvement immediately.

Sound too vain for you? I look at it as making money. Since I am in the public eye with speaking, TV appearances and book signings, I can extend my career by looking my best. I don't mind looking my age, but I don't want to look older than I am.

It really is the same for anyone in business. Looking your best gives you confidence and creates a great first impression.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. For her Free e-mail newsletter, visit: The People Pro.

Quick, name one thing that would make your loved one more able to cope with living in a nursing home. If you said, "having a pet with him," then you'll want to keep reading.

When my father entered a nursing home 4 years ago, I had a recurrent fantasy. I would adopt a small, elderly dog - something about the size of a Pomeranian - and move it into his room, accompanied by a litter box. I would have been willing to go in everyday to change the litter. That's how much of a difference an old dog would have made for my old father in those last lonely years of his life. A dog on his lap in the wheelchair, sharing his meals from the tray, sleeping next to him through the night - would have made his life worth living.

Almost every time I walk my aging dog Jolly down the street in a special harness he uses for the stairs, I get stopped by other dog owners wondering where they can get one. Dogs, like people, seem to be living longer these days, but the market for the special tools you need to keep them comfortable has not quite kept up.

Some of the big pet retailers are catching on, but not fast enough. Pet catalog giant Drs. Fosters and Smith has an arthritis section, but the best product I've found so far is a seat-belt harness similar to the one they sell in another section. Before the harness Jolly would have scary slips; now he's slow, but fine. People who live in apartments without elevators desperately need something to keep their dogs safely walking up and down the stairs. Like many big pet stores, they're good for orthopedic beds and glucosamine supplements, but not that much specialty equipment.

I asked my vet if he had any recommendations for a special harness. He said he was just about to ask me where I got Jolly's harness to recommend to other patients. I'm in the market for a harness the gives him a little more support, so I did some research. Here's what I found:

A piece in today's New York Times looks at Robert J. Pyle, a 73-year old retired aerospace engineer who lost everything giving gifts to people he thought were his friends and then sold his house at a steep discount to its value to the first person who made an offer when he needed money.

Now he's suing, charging that because he is old, he should not have to bear full responsibility for his mistakes. What makes the lawsuit and others like it unique is that Pyle is not accusing those who have his money of fraud per se -- he just says they took advantage of an old man.

What the courts will do with his lawsuits remains to be seen -- But the bottom line is that, for better or for worse, elders can't rely on the government to protect them from opportunists.

If you have elderly parents or friends, offer to help them sort through their financial affairs. Many if not most will be resistant, not wanting to be patronized, but at least they'll know they have someone to turn to if they find themselves in a pickle.

Here are a few sites that have some tips for preventing elder fraud against loved ones: Fraud.org's elder fraud site, the Department of Justice's publications on elder fraud, and perhaps Barry Minkow's DVD Protecting yourself from elder abuse.