THE quest for the perfect body has led to a steady increase in demand for cosmetic procedures in the UK over the past few years.

A new GMTV survey found that almost 90 per cent of people questioned would have plastic surgery and three out of four believed it would make them happier.

And more men are opting to go under the knife too. Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne who recently had his eye bags removed, says he supports plastic surgery as a way for people to improve their appearance.

Mr Ian Whitworth, a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), who works at Nuffield Health in Bournemouth, estimates that around ten per cent of cosmetic patients are male.

“The most popular procedure for men is liposuction followed by rhinoplasty – but surprisingly their expectations can be much higher!

“The other group we are seeing more of is weight-loss patients who have had gastric bypass surgery and then need follow-up surgery once they’ve lost weight to remove loose skin.”

Mr Whitworth says people are now more aware of the range of cosmetic procedures available thanks to programmes like Ten Years Younger.

“We are hugely image conscious now and people realise it’s not just for the super rich and that cosmetic surgery is affordable.

“The vast majority of people I see don’t want to look like Joan Rivers, they want to look natural and feel better about themselves.

“But I have no problem in telling a patient that I don’t think a particular procedure will work. I would rather advise them not to have it than to put them through surgery and leave them dissatisfied.”

But Mr Whitworth says it’s important that anyone considering cosmetic treatment should do their research thoroughly and be careful about having surgery overseas.

“You can get it done cheaper abroad but although you are paying less you are taking more risk.

“Surgery is never risk free and some patients will have a problem, most of which is easily correctable if dealt with quickly, but if not, can become more complicated to deal with in time.

“I say to all my patients if there is a problem then we can put it right – the clinic here is open 24 hours a day — and because it is a fixed price that’s included in the cost.”

Mr Whitworth adds that preparation is very important too.

“I always see my patients for consultation, and often twice before surgery and also I always contact their GPs. The three important questions to ask your surgeon: are you fully trained, how many patients have you operated on and what happens if it goes wrong?

“If you don’t get satisfactory answers to these questions then perhaps you should think again. The surgeon you see for your consultation should be the surgeon who carries out the operation.”

For his part, Mr Whitworth clearly gets a great deal of satisfaction from his work and he cites a thank you card from a patient who was thrilled to be wearing a bikini again for the first time in 15 years following a tummy tuck.

He adds: “When performed under the right circumstances, research shows that aesthetic surgery can have a very positive psychological impact and improve a patient’s quality of life.”