A recent survey has shown that young Australians are more cautious than their American counterparts when it comes to cosmetic surgery. The research looked at students at the University of Melbourne. The results showed that whilst most were familiar with a huge range of cosmetic surgery procedures, just 1% had actually taken the plunge and had some cosmetic work done.

284 students were interviewed for the research with the majority of them having negative opinions on surgery. Around half of the interviewees said they would be ‘fearful’ of having plastic surgery, with a third thinking cosmetic procedures were a waste of money. About a third also said they felt it was wrong to have an operation to try and boost your self esteem.

The figures come in stark contrast to recent US studies of female students. In the US study, 5% of students had had some form of cosmetic surgery with 67% knowing someone who had had surgery, and in 33% of cases, it was a family member who had gone under the knife. US students had a more positive opinion of cosmetic surgery overall, with opinions reflecting a greater acceptance, probably due to the greater availability and prevalence of cosmetic surgery throughout the country.