241 Pizza

Mentor Corporation, a breast implant manufacturer, reported a significant drop in the number of implants that were sold in the US during the three months ending in September.

American surgeons have warned that customers looking for a bargain will lead to a surge in horror stories about “discount injectables” bought from unreliable suppliers and applied by poorly trained practitioners.

Patrick Mallucci, consultant plastic surgeon at London Plastic Surgery Associates and the Royal Free Hospital, said it was the lower end of the market that had so far been hit hardest by the credit crunch.

He said: “Commercial organisations at the cheaper end of the market are feeling the effects of the economic downturn the most. They make surgery available to people that may not have been able to afford it before. However, in the current climate these are the people who are having to cut back on spending.”

Peter Nwankwo, of the cosmetic surgery search engine www.thinksurgery.co.uk, said: “The credit crunch means people are not willing to spend on what is not considered a necessity, which obviously means the cosmetic surgery industry will experience a drop in customers. In order to meet sales targets, clinics are now reducing their prices to entice consumers. However, we still urge that people considering cosmetic surgery should not let price be the deciding factor.”

Looking expensive

The top surgical procedures for men and women in 2007:

Breast augmentation 6,497

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) 5,706

Liposuction 4,572

Face/neck lift 4,468

Breast reduction 3,402

Rhinoplasty 3,021

Abdominoplasty 2,799

Women accounted for 91 per cent of all cosmetic procedures but there were rises of 61 per cent in male abdominoplasty and of 27 per cent in male breast reduction

Source: British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

Times recommends

• How I lost the gift of joy for a while
• How to get Coleen Rooney's post-baby body
• The A-Z of winter style rules