“I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware,” said the late Joan Rivers.

But while her hunt for the perfect look was defined by going under the knife regularly, it appears the image-conscious are now turning their backs on cosmetic enhancement.

According to data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the number of cosmetic operations conducted last year fell 40% to a near-decade low from a record-breaking high in 2015.

Fashion and entertainment commentators have said the growing influence of a wave of social media celebrities, including the beauty vlogger Zoella and the model Iskra Lawrence, could be behind the slump in demand.

For the first time in almost 10 years of relatively consistent growth, the number of cosmetic surgical procedures for women and men combined dipped below 31,000 – with 2016’s number 5% fewer than in 2007.

The BAAPS put the decline down to financial constraints but fashion and celebrity observers said social media savvy presenters and models were shifting the focus away from appearances to “relatability”.