The market research company Mintel estimates that some 72,000 cosmetic surgery procedures took place in Britain last year. But before you rush to reinvent yourself, read our no-nonsense guide and find out what's really involved

One of the problems with the increased demand for cosmetic surgery is the number of 'cowboy clinics' offering quick-fix procedures at the hands of surgeons who aren't registered by the General Medical Council. According to Professor David Sharpe, former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), these kinds of clinics are on the rise. 'The only two UK associations whose members are all GMC-registered are BAAPS and The British Association of Plastic Surgeons,' he says.

No guarantees
There are two main forms of cosmetic surgery: invasive and non-invasive. However, 'even less involved techniques like chemical peels, laser surgery and botox injections, non-invasive but very popular, still require a qualified surgeon and there is no reason to take these procedures less seriously,' says plastic surgeon and BAAPS member Dr. Nick Percival from London's Stamford Hospital. He goes on to say that even with a chemical peel, a popular non-invasive procedure, you're basically painting someone's face with a type of acid, so it's still a serious procedure.

Percival also notes that not everyone who comes in to have a procedure is what doctors deem 'treatable'. For example, surgeons first interview patients to see what their expectations are. If they're going through a tough time or the surgeon feels they have unrealistic expectations of what surgery can offer, he or she can refuse treatment. 'People need intensive consultation for any treatment. I only treat around 75 per cent of the patients I initially see, often because they may be too psychologically vulnerable,' says Dr. Percival. He adds, 'We don't like operating on people going through a crisis, for example. We'll refer them for counselling instead.'

One reason surgeons sometimes refuse treatment is that 'nothing is guaranteed with any sort of cosmetic surgery,' says Professor Sharpe. 'Scars from surgery can be as thin as a pencil-line or thick as a pencil. It depends how an individual patient scars.' And any operation involving general anaesthesia carries an extra risk.

If you're still willing to consider a cosmetic procedure, go to the next page for an overview of your options.

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The iVillage guide to cosmetic surgery