Huge Numbers Willing to Go Under Knife to Alter Their Appearance

Most women, and large numbers of men, are interested in having cosmetic surgery, UCLA scientists report in the October issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.Forty-eight percent of women surveyed said they would be interested in cosmetic surgery, liposuction or both, and another 23 percent said they would possibly be interested. Among men, 23 percent said they would be interested in surgery, with 17 percent expressing possible interest.

“Interest in cosmetic surgery is far more widespread than we had anticipated,” said David Frederick, a UCLA psychology graduate student and lead author of the study. “The majority of women expressed some interest in cosmetic surgery, and more than one-third of men expressed some degree of interest, which I found really surprising. We know there is tremendous pressure for women to be thin and have a certain appearance and for men to be fit and muscular, but I would not have guessed that so many people would be interested in surgical body alteration.”

“There is so much pressure, especially on women, to be thin and beautiful and to look younger,” Frederick said. “Many people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to permanently alter their bodies surgically. The interest in cosmetic surgery is widespread across the full life span. Especially for women, there never seems to be a reprieve. Your appearance is judged to be an important part of who you are.”

For the study, UCLA researchers analyzed the responses of more than 52,000 people - ranging in age from 18 to 65, with an average age in the mid-30s - to an online survey conducted by MSNBC.com and Elle.com in 2003.NetNewsPublisher