You would have thought the likes of Zelda from Terrahawks lookalike Jackie Stallone and walking freakshow Michael Jackson would be enough of a warning to anyone considering cosmetic surgery, writes David Batty.
But today sees the launch of a new government website encouraging people who think going under the knife will improve their social life or relationship to consider seeing a psychologist instead.
The site asks those thinking about surgery to question whether their expectations are realistic, and provides guidance on checking whether a surgeon is properly qualified.
It comes in response to growing concern about heavily advertised clinics where under-qualified surgeons carry out nose re-shaping, liposuction, tummy tucks and face-lifts.
Britons spend more than £200m a year on cosmetic surgery, but many are not happy with the results - the industry pays out more than £1m a year in compensation to dissatisfied customers.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons – with its appropriate acronym BAAPS – blames TV programmes such as Channel 5's Cosmetic Surgery Live for encouraging people to undergo unnecessary operations.
The organisation claims the series trivialises cosmetic surgery by suggesting procedures to viewers based on pictures of their body parts emailed in via mobile phone.
Frankly, the only surgery anyone taking advice on their appearance from Daniella Westbrook and Vanessa Feltz needs is to extract the useless lumps of fat from between their ears.
