No 1 for nip tucks

New figures show that the UK spends the most in Europe on cosmetic nips and tucks

The UK's spending on cosmetic procedures is the highest in Europe, figures out today show.

In 2006 the cost of having nips, tucks and Botox hit nearly £500 million, according to analysts Datamonitor.

This was more than treble the amount paid for cosmetic enhancements in Italy, which had the second-highest spend of the seven European countries surveyed.

France came third in the 2006 cosmetic surgery spending at £141.8 million.

Germany came fourth at £129 million followed by Spain in fifth position at £70.4 million.

Europe's combined spending on cosmetic surgery in 2006 was £1.251 billion, Datamonitor found.

This figure was dwarfed by the £5.792 billion spent on cosmetic surgery in the US that same year.

Increasing popularity

Datamonitor said consumers' desire to improve their personal appearance was on the rise.

"However, the fastest growing area of cosmetic surgery has been minimally invasive procedures, such as Botox injections, which have soared over the last decade,'' Datamonitor said in a statement.

Spending on cosmetic surgery in Europe and the US combined will top £14.28 billion by 2011, Datamonitor predicts.

The UK is expected to have the highest percentage increase, with spending up to a predicted £1,505 billion by 2011.

This will outpace the spending upturn to a predicted £8,938 billion in the US over the same period, according to Datamonitor.

The lower cost and greater convenience of non-invasive cosmetic procedures such as Botox have helped them grow more popular.

Datamonitor expects personal care products marketed as alternatives to cosmetic surgery to grow more popular amongst time-pressed consumers over the coming years.