Over the years, myths have grown as to why people decide to go under the knife. However, in the first research of its kind, a leading plastic surgery decided to find out what really motivates people to get work done.

The results blew out of the water the many myths surrounding cosmetic surgery. What’s more, it is one of the largest medical surveys carried out in the UK, involving more than 20,000 patients.

The research, which was commissioned by one of the leading cosmetic surgery clinics in the country, namely the Harley Medical Group, found that 85% of participants want surgery to improve their confidence. While perhaps this is not unexpected what is perhaps more surprising is that 95% of people think about getting work done for 2 years before actually doing anything about it.

But what are the myths surrounding plastic surgery? One myth is that getting cosmetic surgery work carried out is addictive. As indicated above, this is not true.

Another myth suggests that plastic surgery is so common nowadays it is just viewed as a beauty treatment. In reality, people take a long time to make decisions.

A well worn myth is that people get work done in order to stand out from the crowd. The real reason is the complete opposite.

There are many, many more myths, but the major reason is confidence and not beauty.

Speaking with reporters, one of the lead nursing counsellors at the Harley Medical Group, Lisa Littlehales said: “Patients who are looking into surgical options have lots of questions about their procedure and it is important that they are properly informed.”

Lisa added: “We decided to do the survey as people often people have assumptions about cosmetic surgery, which in reality are completely untrue. One of the biggest myths is that cosmetic surgery is purely about vanity, when in actual fact it is most often a confidence issue which the patient has not been able to resolve through other means.”