DESPITE a double-dip recession and the PIP breast implant scandal, latest figures have revealed cosmetic surgery continues to be on the rise.

Statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons found nationally facial rejuvenation treatments including eyelid surgery, fat transfer and brow and face lifts were the nation’s favourites last year and all experienced a double-digit rise.

Spire, which has a hospital in Stretton, also saw a 56 per cent increase in facelifts and 16 per cent rise in boob jobs.

We asked a patient from the town and her surgeon why they think so many people are going under the knife.

JAYNE Fletcher went from a size 32B to an F after surgery at Spire and said she had been thinking about doing it for 20 years.

The 47-year-old office admin from Fearnhead had the operation 18 months ago and believes there is more social acceptance now surrounding cosmetic surgery.

She said: “I had never been happy with my size but was afraid to undergo surgery following media stories of horrendous results. “However, more and more people have now had similar surgery with success and I found myself coming across more like myself rather than celebrities who had taken the plunge and were very happy.

“I had done a lot of research and been building up to it for a while finding a surgeon I liked then the year before I had one or two scares with cysts in my breast.

“It was always good news but it made me think you never know what’s round the corner and I didn’t want to wait anymore.

“I have never regretted it and feel like I’m the size I should be now.”

The wife to Gary of five years said she can now try on clothes with confidence but does not plan to have anything else done.

She added: “I didn’t want to have enormous boobs like Jordan, I wanted it to be in balance and look natural.

“I was shy about telling friends beforehand but obviously afterwards everybody could tell!

“When I was first thinking about it, it was an extravagance and people would say ‘what do you want that for’.

“It’s a step too far to say it changed my life but it has enhanced my life and made me happy.

“My advice to anyone is do your homework and don’t rush into anything.”

A CONSULTANT plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon at Spire Cheshire Hospital has said people want to feel good on the outside.
Douglas McGeorge, who has been at the hospital for 20 years, said: “We’re seeing more and more surgery because it’s being talked about more.
“People are more open and don’t have that guilt anymore about having something done.
“There are two kinds of people who want surgery; those who want to change, which is often a younger age group, and older patients who want to improve.
“Banks used to mention cosmetic surgery in loans adverts but then they stopped lending money to younger people and we started to see more older people coming in instead to have rejuvenation surgery.
“A lot of people have saved up now since the recession so we’re seeing them coming back into the frame.”
The consultant, who specialises in breast surgery, added the PIP breast implant scandal helped rather than hindered boob job figures.
He added: “The price of cowboy clinics and mainstream surgeons is not that different as the cowboy ones bring in cheap surgeons but spend a lot on advertising.
“It was very bad publicity for them and main stream surgeons have been picking up the pieces.”