Have you ever considered Botox? You're not alone. According to researchers Mintel, 15% more women in the UK tried Botox for the first time last year, while up to 19 million Britons would consider some form of surgical enhancement if they could afford it.
However, it is Botox that is leading the charge. First approved in America in 2002, Botox (or botulinum toxin type A to give it its full name) can temporarily improve the appearance of wrinkles (frown lines) between the eyebrows. It works by freezing facial muscles, thus apparently smoothing away the wrinkles.
Current estimates are that Botox is worth ?18 million a year in the UK, with more than one million treatments now being carried out each year. Other treatments such as lip plumping are also becoming more popular - all this despite some well-publicized mistakes that have left people with major facial disfigurements.
Indeed, many women now consider Botox injections to be a part of their regular beauty regime, as natural as getting their hair cut or their nails done. This is a part of a wide-spread movement to stay young by copying the beauty secrets of the rich and famous.
These treatments are not without their risks, however. The most common concern about Botox injections into the face is that they do more than simply remove wrinkles - they can also produce a mask-like expression that has no normal movement or expression to it.
However, as mentioned earlier, when people were asked about invasive plastic surgery, a huge number of men and women said that they would have surgery to correct or enhance something about themselves if they could afford it.
This is reflected in the overall growth of the market for invasive cosmetic procedures, which has grown by around 10% in the UK in the last two years. Apart form Botox, the most popular procedures are breast enlargement, eye bag removal, facelifts and neck lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction and nose jobs.
Not only are more and more people opting for these procedures, they are also doing so at younger and younger ages. The New York Times reported that the market for teenage plastic surgery is growing even faster than that for adults, with children as young as six having plastic surgery to flatten protruding ears, while thousands of teenagers have nose jobs and breast augmentation surgeries. Perhaps more worryingly, many teens and even preteens are now having liposuction.
Whatever your views, this is a rapidly growing field - worth an estimated ?2.3 billion in the UK alone, it seems to be here to stay.
