Twenty-five percent of girls aged 16 to 21 would have cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance, a new UK-based survey has found.

Researchers at Girlguiding UK questioned 1,109 girls between the ages of 7 and 21 to discover their attitudes to cosmetic surgery, sexual health, body image, eating disorders, and binge-drinking. Researchers found that the average girl starts wanting to look slim at 10 years old, with half of 11- to 16-year-olds restricting what they eat in order to achieve this.

Though 24% of 16- to 21-year-olds revealed that they would consider cosmetic surgery, 12% of them say that they would be prepared to have a gastric band or cosmetic surgery, while 5% would be interested in Botox treatments.

Dai Davies, consultant plastic surgeon for Plastic Surgery Partners, says that girls are under to pressure to conform to society’s idea of beauty. "Somewhere along the way, young girls and women have been led astray," he claims, adding that cosmetic surgery is "a great resource for people who have realistic expectations and should really only be an educated decision."

[Source: UK Telegraph/Private Healthcare UK]