Why are we going under the knife?

In 2007, Radio 1 and 1Xtra carried out a survey to find out how people felt about their bodies.

10% of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted hating the way they looked with 50% of female respondents saying they would consider having plastic surgery.

More than 25,000 people took part.

As cosmetic surgery becomes more acceptable, affordable and available, BBC presenter Konnie Huq takes a look at why people are choosing to go under the knife.

So is it worth it and would you ever do it? Is it a celeb-driven waste of our cash or just a harmless boost to increase our confidence?

Model Charlie, 23, had a boob job after giving birth to her daughter when she was 18.

She said she was always unhappy with the size of her breasts.

"I was quite confident anyway and when I used to go for a night out obviously you have the gel bras and the push up bras," she says.

Model Charlie's second boob job went wrong Listen to 1Xtra's documentary about having plastic surgery

"So it felt OK when I was out because you pretend in a way. But when I got home or you're getting dressed they're still really small.

"When I had my daughter when I was 18 they kind of went really big when I was pregnant. Then afterwards they went down and were even worse.

"That was when I definitely, definitely had to get something done."

But it's not only women who are thinking about plastic surgery.

The survey also found that a quarter of men had thought about going under the knife.

Sean Armonger, 21, had a tummy tuck when he was 19. He was bullied at school for being overweight.

When he got to college he developed an eating disorder which meant he lost five stone (31.7kg) in 10 weeks.

He says, for him, cosmetic surgery was about making a fresh start.

"It's about cutting away at the past. It's making you feel happy," he says.

"After you've lost a lot of weight in a short period of time you're left with quite saggy skin.

"It's staring you in the face all the time so you're just remembering all the bad parts of what you've gone through and you just want it to go away so you can start a new life.

"So for me it's more of a transition as well."

Surgery 'risks'

It's estimated that around £1bn was spent on cosmetic surgery and procedures like botox last year in the UK.

Having plastic surgery can be expensive and stressful. One way of getting around the cost is going abroad to have procedures.

Paul Turner-Mitchell is from a company which sells cosmetic surgery holidays in Malaysia.

"Ten years ago cosmetic surgery was the domain of the rich and famous.

"Now it's widely acceptable. People talk about it daily. You can open virtually every glossy weekly or monthly magazine and see people sharing their real life stories about cosmetic surgery.

"And I think as well because it's become affordable, more and more people are contemplating it, so it's a lot more open and a lot more acceptable."

Plastic surgery isn't risk free. Peter Arnstein is the consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon who appeared on TV's Extreme Makeover.

I felt like a bit of a freak because I had one boob. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through that Glamour model Charlie

He says people should be aware of the dangers associated with going under the knife.

"Cosmetic surgery, even if it is straightforward technically, still carries risks," he said.

"It can still cause considerable distress if it goes wrong."

Model Charlie knows about the consequences of plastic surgery going wrong.

She had a second boob job which didn't go according to plan.

She explains: "Within two weeks I had one implant leaking out loads of fluid.

"So they took me back in and redid the implant. I stayed in overnight. Then after about three weeks it happened again.

"Then they took it out and redid it. Then it happened again and it ruptured. And then they said they'd have to take the implant out for six months and let it recover.

"So I had one implant in and one with nothing. I felt really low. I didn't want to go out.

"I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through that."