London:The demand for cosmetic surgery continues to grow in the UK, according to new figures from market analyst Mintel.

The business analyst predicts that in 2008 Britons will spend more than £1bn on cosmetic surgery.

In the last year 577,000 cosmetic treatments were carried out in the UK, compared to 300,000 in 2005.

The number of non-surgical treatments increased from 230,000 to 472,000, with a particular surge in demand for botox and wrinkle fillers. Non-invasive procedures are becoming more popular because they are seen as less risky. Other non-surgical procedures included laser hair removal, chemical peels and teeth whitening.

The market analyst warned that since industry is self-regulated and procedures can be carried out by non-medical personal is a cause for concern.

Mintel senior cosmetics analyst Alexandra Richmond said: “Today, the British perception of beauty is based on airbrushed images of models and photos of surgically enhanced celebrities, both young and old. She said many were left feeling inadequate.

Surgical procedures still make up the bulk of spending on cosmetic treatments and the most popular are facelifts, and breast surgery.

One in five facial surgery operations carried out in the past year were nose operations.

Nose surgery is the most popular surgical procedure with men, with breast enlargement the most popular with women.

Breast uplifts are increasingly carried out to redress the effects of breast-feeding and pregnancy on women’s shape, the report says.

Botox is used to smooth forehead lines, eliminate crows’ feet and other facial lines. It is the most popular type of non-surgical cosmetic procedure.