Washington, Oct 27 : Gone are the days when cosmetic surgery was associated only with film stars. Now, a new research has found that most of the women and a good amount of men are now showing a desire to go under the knife in order to enhance their beauty and overall personality.

The study conducted by University of California, Los Angeles scientists found that forty-eight percent of women and 23 percent of men showed willingness towards cosmetic surgery, liposuction or both, while another 23 percent women and 17 percent of men expressed possible interest.

In count, 21 percent of women and 11 percent of men described themselves as unattractive, and 31 percent of women and 16 percent of men reported feeling so uncomfortable in a swimsuit that they avoid wearing one in public.

“Interest in cosmetic surgery is far more widespread than we had anticipated," said David Frederick, a UCLA psychology graduate student and lead author of the study.

"The majority of women expressed some interest in cosmetic surgery, and more than one-third of men expressed some degree of interest, which I found really surprising. We know there is tremendous pressure for women to be thin and have a certain appearance and for men to be fit and muscular, but I would not have guessed that so many people would be interested in clean."

"There is so much pressure, especially on women, to be thin and beautiful and to look younger. Many people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to permanently alter their bodies surgically. The interest in cosmetic surgery is widespread across the full life span. Especially for women, there never seems to be a reprieve. Your appearance is judged to be an important part of who you are,”

However, Dr Fredrick was surprised that there was no relation between people's body image and their interest in cosmetic surgery.

He found that even those without a poor body image expressed interest in surgical alteration.

"This isn't about poor body image, People interested in cosmetic surgery did not report less satisfaction with their body or face than people who are not interested. People interested in liposuction, however, did report lower body satisfaction, even when statistically controlling for body weight,’ he said.

The report is published in the October issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. (ANI)