Cosmetic surgery used to be synonymous with Hollywood stars with too much time and money on their hands to think about anything but their own vanity. Nowadays, cosmetic surgery is no longer an expensive luxury confined to Beverly Hills but has become an affordable and marketable commodity, available to anyone and everyone.

We have all seen the before and after pictures of the catastrophe that is now Pete Burns. We all saw what one too many nose jobs did to Michael Jackson. We are also aware that any invasive procedure caries serious and potentially life threatening risks.

Yet, despite these risks, the cosmetic surgery industry is booming, with an estimated industry value of over £2.3bn in the UK last year. So why do ordinary people feel the need to have something nipped and tucked and risk looking like the joker from Batman?

It is not new to say that as a society, we are very image conscious. We are obsessed with our outward appearance, from the way we dress, to the cars we drive and places we live. With the narrowing of the class divide, a greater section of society can now keep up with the Joneses in their quest for perfection.

We are governed by a celebrity culture, where the average person on the street is more familiar with the likes of the Kardashians than the Camerons! With reality TV stars dominating our screens with their peroxide hair extensions, fake boobs, eyelashes, nails and tans, it’s almost ironic to call them “reality’ celebs! Their vernacular consists of describing the latest beauty trends, from the dated Brazilian, to vajazzling. It is no wonder why teenagers grow up thinking beauty is more than skin deep!

We even have a celebrity bashing culture, where we cruelly revel in images of celebrities looking less than perfect. The Daily Mail online dedicates a whole section to pictures of semi naked female celebrities, zooming in on their cellulite or ‘muffin tops,’ deeming headlines such as “Christina Aguilera reveals dreaded orange peel [cellulite]” as newsworthy!

The emphasis on beauty even pervades through the work place. In his book “Beauty pays: Why attractive people are more successful,” Professor Daniel Hamermesh claims that “beautiful women earn 4% more, and handsome men 3% more, than their plain counterparts” and are generally more successful in their jobs.

So is it any wonder why the cosmetic surgery industry is so popular? There are endless cosmetic procedures to choose from, from botox to fillers, laser hair removal to an eyebrow lift, to the more invasive procedures like a nose job, ear reshaping, buttock implants and even a “designer vagina.” With a boob job being marketed for as little as £2,500, plastic surgeons promise to enhance your beauty in as little as an hour.

Emma, a teacher looked into having breast implants with a reputable Harley Street surgeon, which is London’s most prestigious and expensive street for private medical treatments.  At the consultation, the surgeon suggested that she may also benefit from a tummy tuck and would save 30% of the total cost of she booked both procedures.

Ironically, most male friends say that they find boob jobs undesirable. One friend dated a girl who had a boob job said that it put him off, claiming that “they felt totally inanimate,” and he may as well have been touching a table.

Generally, people who have fallen under the knife have self-esteem issues. Rather than look deeper within themselves and seek counselling, or better yet, dedicate their time and thoughts to those less fortunate, they look to fixing their outward appearance as a solution to raising their confidence and feeling desired by society.

Cosmetic surgeons are aware of this and target those who are vulnerable and exploit their insecurities.

Leanne works in the City and deeply regrets having a nose job. She said “ I was feeling low at the time and a friend suggested it would make me feel better.”

Despite booking consultations with nine cosmetic surgeons, some whom she described as adopting a fast food approach to cosmetic surgery, not one surgeon asked her about her motivations for a nose job or performed any form of psychological assessment on her.

One surgeon even told her that in addition to a nose job, she would need a chin implant to restore balance to her face. This only added to her insecurities, as prior to that consultation, she had never thought there was a problem with her chin!

What many people aren’t told before surgery is that a tiny alteration to your face can be psychologically difficult to deal with.  Leanne said: “For 25 years I had a nose that defined me. After, it felt like a stranger was looking back at me”

There are very few regulations governing the cosmetic surgery industry. Worryingly, the General Medial Council stipulate that breast augmentation need only to be carried out by a qualified doctor and not even a surgeon! An ENT surgeon told me that many cosmetic surgeons offer rhinoplasties (nose jobs) when they have limited experience of the nasal anatomy compared to an ENT specialist.

The Department of Health launched a review into the cosmetic surgery industry in August 2012 as a result of the Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) scandal, where the French company had to recall breast implants due to concerns over their health risks. The review highlights the lack of regulation of the industry, including the way it is advertised, the information available to the public and the inadequate training of some cosmetic surgery providers. Sadly, it does not deem formal psychological assessments as necessary for patients considering surgery.

The adage that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder cannot be stressed enough. Cosmetic surgery claims to improve our appearance in our quest for perfection. But it is our imperfections that give us our character and make us interesting.