Whether to acquire an hourglass figure or to iron out wrinkles and laughter lines, Britons are spending more on being nipped, tucked and pumped with Botox, new figures show.

Britons are less squeamish about having chemical injections or going under the knife, creating a boom for the cosmetic treatments industry.

The cosmetic surgery market is now worth just over £900 million – more than double the sum spent in 2005. Another £100 million is spent by an estimated 30,000 people who travel abroad for medical treatment each year, about a third of whom seek cosmetic procedures.

A report by the market research company Mintel estimates that 577,000 cosmetic operations and treatments were carried out in Britain this year – the equivalent of more than 1,500 a day. The choice of so many celebrities to have cosmetic enhancements and the popularity of television “makeover” shows are fuelling the trend, market analysts say.

Botox, collagen wrinkle fillers and other so-called noninvasive treatments have had the biggest increases, accounting for 472,000 of the total. This compares with the 300,000 procedures reported in 2005, of which 230,000 were nonsurgical.

The injections have become much more common because they are seen as less risky than surgery. Laser hair removal, chemical peels and teeth whitening are also contributing to the rise, the report says. But doctors have expressed concern over the lack of regulation on the treatments, which do not have to be carried out by medically qualified practitioners.

Liz Dale, director of the Harley Medical Group, a nationwide chain of cosmetic surgery clinics, said: “Interest in cosmetic surgery and treatments is continuing to boom. With this sort of growth, we believe that it’s even more important that the Government becomes actively involved in implementing cosmetic surgery regulation to properly protect patients.”

A recent move to declassify lasers used in cosmetic surgery meant that they might also be used for nonsurgical treatments in unregistered clinics, spas and salons by nonmedical staff, she said. “Patients need to be careful and only have nonsurgical procedures at clinics registered by the Healthcare Commission.”

Surgical procedures still make up the bulk of spending on cosmetic treatments at £604 million this year – double the total cost of nonsurgical treatments (£302 million).

Facial enhancements and breast surgery are the two most popular surgical procedures, followed by body reshaping, which includes liposuction, tummy tucks and buttock lifts. One in five facial-surgery operations carried out in the past year was to reshape the nose. This is also the most popular procedure with men, the report says.

Alexandra Richmond, Mintel’s senior cosmetics analyst, said: “Today, the British perception of beauty is based on airbrushed images of models and photos of surgically enhanced celebrities, both young and old. For many, the natural look simply can’t compete and leaves them feeling inadequate.

“As a nation, we are clearly becoming less squeamish about going under the knife, with the culture of extreme makeover programmes desensitising people to surgery. Many Brits today simply do not consider the obvious risks involved and are choosing to put their image first.”

Beauty for sale

£5.6bn US spending on cosmetic surgery and noninvasive procedures

£912m UK spending on cosmetic surgery and noninvasive procedures

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Mintel

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