Want to look better without going under the knife?

As the economy improves, more consumers are looking to improve their appearance and these days their beauty bucks are going further than ever with cutting-edge technology and less invasive procedures.

But is it really possible to look better without going under the knife? According to Dermatologist Dr. Jeanine Downie it is, and she showed "Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill the latest machines to help patients tone up, look younger and get rid of problem areas.

Bottom line, the difference between invasive and non-invasive is the scalpel in many ways, Hill points out.

"Right, and the invasive procedures have much more downtime, they tend to be more costly, and because there's more downtime, there tends to be more side effects," Downie adds. Therefore, the non-invasive is quicker and less expensive."

The first example is Exilis, which means thin in Latin, notes Downie.

"It's radio frequency technology doctors actually can tighten the skin and melt the fat," she explained.

Downie says she's living proof that it works.

She said, "I melted away saddlebags on myself that I've had forever and I was like 'you've got to be kidding me.'"

"The before and after is amazing," Hill adds. And the after is not retouched.

"It tightens so it's radio frequency, the heat goes down two centimeters into the deep dermis and it actually causes a metabolic activity onset, which causes fat cells to break apart, goes into your limbymphatics, you drink water and pee the fat out. ... It's good for all skin types. It's amazing technology," Downie says.

For some women, no matter how much you spend time in the gym, let's face it -- fat is difficult to get rid of, so this another procedure, Downie said, can help with the arms and the stomach areas, as well.

"It's targeted at fat tissue lipolysis. The fat cells are breaking apart. It's great for people trying to exercise, but are not really getting anywhere with stubborn resistant areas of fat, saddlebags, some patients are doing it for their ankles. You can do it on your face. It's got a face piece on it too."

How much will this cost?

"It's not going to be awful; it's going to wind up costing about $500 per treatment session, so about $2,000 for the entire four treatment sessions. Some people need six. It depends on the actual person," Downie adds.

Another procedure that resurfaces the skin is called Fraxel. "Fraxel is basically non-ablative, not like the CO2 lasers, where you have the downtime..."Downie notes. "There's unfortunately not a ton to be done with stretch marks at all, so it's kind of frustrating and the bottom line is that this works very, very well for that purpose."

But do you feel it at all?

According to Downie, it's heat and it actually contracts the tissue in, and it's safe and effective for all skin types, a Fraxel dual system will collapse the stretch marks.

How much does this cost?

While this procedure is more expensive, it varies on the part of the body you do. "Say you're doing this area in your inner leg here, this winds up being $750 per treatment session, and it would take six of them so this is much more expensive machine," she adds.

The third procedure uses Vitalize peels, which are for acne, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles. It doesn't involve a machine.

Downie says it's good for hyperpigmentation, great for acne, and great for trying to take some of the sun damage off of the face because it cuts down on the discoloration of the skin.

Downie explained Vitalize peels are done in a system, which includes a prepping solution, the vitalize peel and lactic acid after. This procedure must be done in a doctor's office - not at home.

Downie says, "My patients love it; they're crazy about it."