As Madonna tells us in her latest song, while treating us to a view of her actually having Botox injections, 'How can it hurt you when it looks so good?' And that does actually seem to be the case as increasing numbers of men and women are subjecting themselves to what used to be considered a dirty little secret. Plastic surgery is now out of the closet and becoming a more accepted way of dealing with the sorts of imperfections that a good skincare routine or personal trainer cannot.

A few years ago looking picture perfect was considered very American, but even the UK is catching up fast and furious. As I was researching this on the internet, I was astounded by the blasé attitude with which some of the sites gave out information, and in some cases, misinformation. And one search engine alone offered more than 72,000 links for sites that offered 'deals', 'cut prices', and 'special offers' on surgery.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I would have thought that if you were considering something that involves having your face or body cut open, the idea of a 'special offer' would not really impress you, but I'm obviously wrong! So what is involved in having aesthetic surgery, and is it right for you? What is available and what are some of the more popular and common procedures? How about cost? Let's go do a little bit of slice'n'dice and see.

The basics
Most plastic surgery is elective rather than something that needs to be done, and that's the sort we're going to deal with. It's not always about looking younger and more attractive; sometimes surgery is carried out to correct a feature that has always bothered you and therefore affects your self-image and confidence, but it can also correct a health issue, such as a breast reduction to relieve back pain. It can also be undertaken to restore your body to its condition before you had kids, or after a major illness or weight loss. Just make sure you're doing it for the right reason - and for yourself. As it stated on one site that I visited, 'We can't promise you a whole new personality or a more fulfilling life after your operation, although you may find it surprising how even the smallest change can make a real difference – not just to the way others see you, but in the way you feel about yourself.'

[quote]If you're considering having aesthetic surgery, you need to do some basic research; what the procedure is, what is involved, preparation, recovery time and, most important, who's going to do it. Believe it or not, I'm actually all for this sort of thing. If you have something that really bothers you and there's a way that it can be corrected relatively safely, why not? But bear in mind that sometimes the results will not be as dramatic as you might hope, mainly because a surgeon realises that if they take it to the extreme, it may uncover another problem or bring more focus to another feature. For example, having your nose sculpted might draw attention to the fact that your eyes are spread further apart than you would like. Or having your breasts reduced may change the proportions of your body so radically that you become even more unhappy than you were before.

Make sure you talk to your surgeon about this and, if possible, have him or her show you some sort of image projection to give you an idea of what the final proportion will look like. This way you can see what you're getting. The last thing you want is to become addicted to having surgery.

Finding a surgeon
The internet can really give you a hand here. I discovered that Ask Jeeves, Google, and MSN Search all had 'find a surgeon' links which broke each procedure down into location and speciality. Once you have found someone to carry out the procedure, there are other engines that can give you positive and negative feedback on each one. At Which.com you can search for specialists and find out who does a particular procedure at the best price.

Once you have shortlisted a few surgeons, pay for a few consultations. Ask to see a book of their work and, if possible, a list of patients who are willing to speak to you about their experiences. The consultations will cost you, but at least you'll get an idea of whether they are ethical or not. I went for two consultations and was told by one bloke that I should have such and such done, while another that said he really wouldn't advise me to have anything done because the result wouldn't really be visible. Guess which one I would go back to if, and when, I should ever decide to have surgery? I don't need anything done; it was an experiment. Some surgeons will play on the insecurities of the patient in order to boost their revenues. They may also try to give you a discount for having multiple procedures done, even if you don't really need them. You know, 'As long as we have you on the table, we may as well do this at the same time,' sort of thing. Unless you have a personal recommendation for a surgeon, you need to shop around.

Prices and financing
Believe it or not, there are quite a few loan companies that specifically offer financing for cosmetic surgery. The reason is, partially, because you might want to have it done sooner rather than later. If you were talking about your bust, for instance, waiting until you're in your mid-30s because you had to save your pennies may seem too late. You may want to improve your bust while you're still in the dating field, not once you're settled into a relationship. Likewise, the time to have eyes enhanced or a facelift done is earlier, when your body has full recovery powers, rather than when you're in your mid-50s and the skin may not be able to re-anchor itself to the bone structure. Plus, it may be expensive if you want to have several things done at the same time, such as your eyes, reshaping your nose and removing jowls.

Beware
Be very sceptical of trips abroad that offer you cosmetic surgery and a holiday at the same time. Croatia, South Africa and Romania all have internet sites advertising such packages. What if something went miserably wrong? You are stuck in a foreign country or, worse still, once you came back you may have a hard time finding somebody who is willing to put right a procedure which has gone wrong. A friend of mine spent untold amounts of money going back to the country where she had the surgery in order to get the problem rectified - much more than she would have spent having the best surgeon in the UK operate in the first place!