The ‘Simon Cowell effect’ hits the country as 43% want to change their teeth

Britons are down in the dumps about the way they look. A national survey released yesterday revealed that three quarters of the population are unhappy with their appearance and would like to change something about themselves.

The survey from RevaHealth.com, a specialist healthcare search engine, reveals that we want to move away from the ‘British smile’ to the ‘Hollywood’ smile with 43% wanting to change their teeth in some way. Whilst 30% would look to change their body, and 17% want a new look for their face or correct their eyesight through laser eye surgery. A surprising 12% of UK men could be suffering from penis paranoia as they would like to change their ‘nether regions’ in some way.

We’re a bit of an insecure bunch when it comes to how we look. Cosmetic changes would boost confidence in half of the UK’s population and make another 17% feel more attractive towards others, perhaps explaining why our health and medical care has not been affected by the recession, while we are making cutbacks in other areas.

With increasing competition in the market (UK and abroad), Brits are missing out on opportunities to save cash on their healthcare in the downturn. Only 7.4% of the country has been spending more time researching and shopping around to get the best value price for their health and medical needs during these tough times.

Celebrities are often said to be responsible for influencing cosmetic trends and relaxing our attitudes towards procedures. Many are known to have gone under the knife in their search for the perfect look, though some have had more success than others in creating desirable looks proving it is important to find the provider that is right for you.

Only six percent of the population find Katie Price (AKA Jordan) more attractive than Kelly Brook. However, Demi Moore, widely known as a cosmetic surgery success story, comes out on top of natural beauty Cameron Diaz.

Caelen King, CEO at RevaHealth.com comments, “We’re a lot more accepting of cosmetic surgery nowadays which is partly down to the laissez faire attitude celebrities seem to have about surgery. Simon Cowell is renowned for his bright white teeth and is even reported to have encouraged his X Factor finalists to undergo whitening treatments to improve their appeal, but patients do need to be careful to look in the right places to find a provider that suits them. What they need is a central directory of providers, whether they’re looking for clinics providing breast enlargements, laser eye surgery or whatever need they have.”

The findings show that we don’t believe we’re getting the best service from our health and medical providers as 40% of patients want a better service from their dentist, and a third want a better service from their GP. Many miss out by ignoring the growing numbers of new health, medical and beauty clinics springing up across the UK and the rest of the world. The survey revealed the majority seek initial advice from their GP or through a traditional search engine.