Moob jobs rise as plastic surgery beats recession

There has been a rise in the number of Britons going under the knife to improve their appearance - despite the economic downturn.

Data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) shows 38,274 surgical procedures were carried out in 2010 - up 5 per cent on figures for 2009.

One of the biggest rises was for breast reduction in men - to get rid of so-called "man boobs" or "moobs" - with 741 operations in 2010, up 28 per cent on the previous year.

Top of the list for total number of operations in men was nose jobs, accounting for 993 operations, up 13 per cent on the previous year. The operation typically costs between 3,000 and 4,000.

Eyelid surgery made up 652 procedures (up 6 per cent), while ear correction accounted for 496 (down 27 per cent).

There were 473 liposuction operations (up 5 per cent) and 263 for neck and/or face lifts (up 11 per cent) in men.

Brow lifts also rose in popularity, to 123 procedures (up 13 per cent on 2009).

Overall, women had 90 per cent of cosmetic procedures in 2010, with breast enhancements being the most popular (9,418 procedures, up 10 per cent on 2009).

Eyelid surgery accounted for 5,127 procedures (up 7 per cent), while face and/or neck lifts were the third most popular (4,493, up 12 per cent).

Nose jobs accounted for 3,214 procedures (up 9 per cent), tummy tucks for 3,039 (down 7 per cent) and liposuction for 2,896 (down 4 per cent).

The figures represent operations carried out by BAAPS members, who make up about 40 per cent of cosmetic surgeons in the UK.

Fazel Fatah, consultant plastic surgeon and president of the BAAPS, said: "The public's interest in aesthetic surgery remained strong in spite of the economic downturn.

"Procedures showing the more considerable rise during this period seem to be, perhaps not surprisingly, concentrated on the most visible areas of the body: facelifts, breasts and nose jobs.

"Surgeries that decreased in popularity were for the areas which could potentially be 'hidden' or disguised, such as tummy tucks and pinning back prominent ears."

Rajiv Grover, consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS president-elect, added: "Every week there are reports in the press of new so-called 'lunchtime' procedures.

"The growth rates for surgical face-lifting, breast augmentation and rhinoplasty show double- digit percentage rises because patients are looking for the real deal, for treatments which deliver a reliable long-lasting result and have a proven safety record.

"The failure of injectable fillers has clearly fuelled a very significant rise in surgical treatment - despite the recession."