In 2007, the cosmetic surgery market was worth over £900m, which is twice the £430m it was worth in 2005. Needless to say, this looks set to grow as non-invasive cosmetic surgery procedures continue to gain popularity. In fact, experts believe that Britain will spend around £1bn on beauty treatments in 2008.

Over 1,600 cosmetic procedures were carried out every day in 2007, which amounted to a massive 577,000 treatments overall. While breast and face surgery were the top treatments, body shaping procedures were also very popular. In the last few years, the growth of fat removal and body shaping procedures has been rapid. Figures released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons showed that the number of liposuction operations rose by 90% in 2006 and it’s suggested that this figure grew even larger in 2007 due to pioneering new fat removal techniques, including Smartlipo

.

Celebrities such as Jade Goody have embraced Smartlipo, as it uses a laser to remove fat and is less invasive than traditional liposuction. Often nicknamed ‘lunchtime lipo’, Smartlipo is performed in a clinic with just a local anaesthetic, which gives patients a short recovery time.

Market analysts Mintel believe that the growing popularity of cosmetic surgery and treatments could be attributed to airbrushed images of celebrities and models in magazines, which make many people feel inadequate. However, Alexandra Richmond, Mintel’s senior cosmetics analyst, also attributed the growth of this sector to our “love of all things anti-ageing.”

Mintel analysts found that 44% of those surveyed would consider cosmetic surgery or treatments. One in ten of this percentage said that their decision had been influenced by reading about cosmetic procedures in magazines or by watching makeover shows, such as Channel 4’s Ten Years Younger.