The UK has a growing obesity problem and the government has taken measures to teach the nation the importance of healthy eating and exercise – such as their ‘Change4Life’ initiative aimed at families – but more and more Brits struggling with their weight are turning to surgery for help.
Statistics show that more than one in five people in the UK have said they would consider surgery to help them lose weight and nearly three in ten people said they would undergo a ‘quick fix’ procedure to help.
Consumer behavior analysts Mintel found that more than a third of people who said they wanted to have surgery said that they want to be more attractive and almost a quarter said that they wanted to have surgery in order to look younger. One in 20 said they would consider having surgery to help their career.
Mintel found that the waistline was the number one ‘problem area’ identified by people who wanted to have plastic surgery – when asked how happy they were with their ‘lumps and bumps’, a quarter of adults asked said they were ‘not happy’ or ‘not happy at all’.
Mintel also found that one in ten people asked said that cosmetic surgery was more socially acceptable than ever before and it definitely feels as if surgery is now the norm. The research carried out by Mintel proves that a huge percentage of people think surgery is the right option to help them lose weight.
However ‘looking attractive’ seems to be the main reason behind having surgery, rather than being healthy. The thing about surgery is that often it does help patients lose weight, but only if they maintain a healthy lifestyle before and after the procedure.
Liposuction is one of the most popular procedures in the UK. It involves removing fat cells from the body, but afterwards the patient must eat healthily and exercise to stop the fat from returning to other parts of the body. Experts make it clear that liposuction is not meant to be a substitute to a healthy diet and exercise in order to loose weight.
When considering cosmetic surgery, it is vital to thoroughly research the procedure and your chosen surgeon. You should always choose a reputable surgeon and have a consultation to make sure they can give you the results you want. Surgery can help tackle fat in persistent areas, but the results will only be permanent if you stick to a healthy eating plan and exercise regularly.