Britons buy more cosmetic surgery

Britons are set to spend $2bn on cosmetic surgery and beauty treatment this year, as the popularity of procedures such as Botox continues to increase.

The number of operations and treatments has almost doubled in two years as consumers strive to get the perfect figure and wrinkle-free face, market analysts Mintel said.

Out of the total of 577,000 procedures in 2007, 472,000 were non-surgical treatments that included laser hair removal and teeth whitening. On average there were 1,600 procedures carried out every day. In 2005 there were only 300,000 operations and treatments, 230,000 of them non-surgical.

According to the report, Botox and other similar treatments are on the rise because Britons see them as relatively risk-free. However, such procedures do not have to be carried out by medically qualified staff, which can be a concern for consumers.

Mintel said people were turning to cosmetic surgery because images of models and photos of surgically enhanced celebrities made them feel inadequate. "This, along with a love of all things anti-ageing, is driving Brits towards cosmetic procedures," said analyst Alexandra Richmond.

In 2007 the total cosmetic surgery market was worth just over $1.8bn - more than double the $860m spent in 2005.

Face and breast surgery were the two most popular operations overall, with nose jobs the most popular procedure for men.

The analysts found that 44% of Britons would consider cosmetic surgery. A majority (60%) said it was their self-consciousness that pushed them to try to change the way they looked, while a quarter wanted to look younger and a fifth wanted to increase their sex appeal.

One in 10 of those who would consider cosmetic surgery said they had been influenced by reading about it in magazines and seeing it on TV.

Lesson Plan

Read out the first sentence of the article and establish the main theme. Repeat the sentence three times. Build up the key words on the board and check meaning. Elicit what type of surgery/treatments people might have on their faces eg Botox, teeth whitening, nose job, laser hair removal. - 7 mins

Bring in some magazine photos of the faces of celebrities such as pop stars, footballers, models or politicians. Highlight to students the phrase: I think he's had his ... teeth whitened / hair dyed . eyebrows shaped. In pairs students speculate what beauty treatments the celebrities might have had done. Monitor/help with vocabulary. Feedback. - 8 mins

Write the following sentences on the board and go through them. Do the first question as an example. Students predict other missing words. Hand out the article. Students read and identify one word from the text to complete each gap. - 15 mins

1. This year Britons will spend ___ on cosmetic surgery and treatments.
2. In the past two years the number of operations and treatments has nearly ___.
3. In 2007 there were ___ procedures every day.
4. Britons think treatment such as ___ are risk-free.
5. Images of ___ and celebrities encourage cosmetic surgery.
6. In 2007 people in Britain spent ___ on the cosmetic surgery market.
7. ___ are the most popular operation for men.
8. ___% of people in Britain would consider cosmetic surgery.

Write up the following reasons why cosmetic surgery is popular in Britain. Students read paragraphs five, eight and nine again. Which reason is not in the text? Cosmetic surgery is popular in Britain because people ... - 5 mins

1. feel inadequate compared to models and famous people.
2. want to look younger and increase their sex appeal.
3. want to look more beautiful so they can get a better job.
4. feel self-conscious and want to change the way they look.

Dictate the discussion statement: "Cosmetic surgery is a waste of money." As a class brainstorm arguments for/against. Encourage students to look back at the article for useful vocabulary. Highlight phrases to help them express their opions. Students discuss in pairs. Feedback - 15 mins