Third of Brits interested in having cosmetic surgery

cosmetic surgeryAlmost a third (31%) of UK adults would be interested in having a surgical cosmetic procedure, new research shows.

Women (37%) are more likely to undergo a surgical procedure, with interest peaking (52%) amongst younger women aged 18-34, while around a quarter (24%) of all men would consider a surgical cosmetic procedure.

More UK adults (43%) would be interested in non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including teeth whitening (27%), permanent hair removal (12%) and skin treatments (11%).

‘Women’s relatively high level of interest in cosmetic surgery can be strongly tied to their typically higher level of concern about self-image,’ Jack Duckett, senior consumer lifestyles analyst at Mintel, said.

‘People’s increasing candour online about their experiences of non-surgical procedures have helped to erode many of the taboos that still surround “having work done”, even normalising certain treatments.

‘This has also been boosted by the cult of reality television stars, many of whom are happy to share details of their own cosmetic enhancement experiences.

‘With young women most engaged with these channels, it is perhaps unsurprising that this group is the most likely to show interest in undergoing a procedure.’

A healthy smile

Around a third (30%) of UK adults are unhappy/very unhappy with the appearance of their teeth.

The research, undertaken by Mintel, found that dissatisfaction with teeth peaks amongst women aged 45-64 (38%).

The importance of having a healthy-looking smile is underlined by the fact that 69% of all adults agree that visibly damaged teeth can impact people’s emotional wellbeing.

‘A smile is an incredibly powerful tool and is worth remembering it is one we all possess; a simple smile can make others around you feel at ease, it’s highly contagious and plays such an important role in our lives that we should make our oral health top priority, it saddens us that not everyone has the confidence to show theirs off to its full potential,’ Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said.


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