The value of the UK’s cosmetic surgery sector has seen significant growth in recent years, with more than 28,000 procedures taking place across the country in 2018. While this is good news for the industry, the trend does raise questions about what is driving this rise in demand for cosmetic procedures - and how this reflects on overall levels of body confidence among the people of Britain.

To get to the bottom of this, Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors recently carried out a survey of 789 adults from across the country, to provide insights into how they felt about the way they look, including the question: “Do you love your nose?”

We asked respondents to give us an honest appraisal of how they felt about their facial appearances, particularly their noses, as well as quizzing them about their confidence around cameras. The results were eye-opening, and reveal some potential insights into the trends that might drive some people to consider cosmetic surgery as an option.

The full findings of our survey can be seen below; please feel free to use our findings for your own content, citing Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors at www.cosmeticsurgerysolicitors.co.uk if you do so.

Key trends and findings

The majority of people lack confidence in their own appearances

• Of those polled, 52% lack confidence in their own appearance to some degree. Only 6% of people said they are “extremely confident” about their appearance, with 42% saying they are “quite confident”, compared to 42% who are not very confident and 10% who are “not at all confident”
• When asked to rate their own appearance on a scale of 1 to 10, the weighted average score was a middling 5.6 out of 10. A 7/10 score was the single most common response, with 22% selecting this option, while more people gave themselves a 1/10 score (3%) than 10/10 (1%)

Most people are self-conscious about how they look in photographs

• 39% said they “rarely” like their appearance in photographs taken by other people, while 20% said they never do. Only 2% said they always like how they appear in other people’s photos
• When it comes to selfies, 31% only “rarely” like how they look in these pictures, and 20% never like their appearance in selfies, while only 3% always do

Most people are not fans of selfies

• 25% of those polled tend to avoid taking selfies, and 17% avoid doing so at all costs. A further 35% don’t think to take them, while 21% said they quite enjoy taking them when they are in a confident mood
• 49% of people ‘never’ use a filter on their selfies, whereas 10% always use a filter, 22% sometimes use one and 19% rarely do
• When asked why they use selfie filters, the most common answer (44%) was to smooth out the taker’s skin tone, while a further 24% do so to feel more confident

“Do you love your nose?” Most are fairly positive

• When asked to rate their own noses in terms of appearance on a scale from 1 to 10, the weighted average score was 5.5. The most common rating was 7/10, with 18% of respondents voting this way
• When evaluating the size of their noses, just over 40% said they liked or loved it, with a further 37% saying they were indifferent
• Similarly, just under 40% said they liked or loved the shapes of their noses, compared to 33% who were indifferent and just under 30% who felt negatively about it
• The vast majority (70%) would not consider undergoing cosmetic surgery on their noses, compared to only 16% who are thinking about it

Men are more confident than women about their appearances

• More than 60% of men are confident about their appearance to some degree, compared to only around 44% of women
• The weighted average self-assessment score for men’s looks was 6.02 out of 10, compared to 5.43 for women
• Women are twice as likely to have a preferred 'side' of their face to show off in photographs (32% of women do this, compared to 15% of men)

Why are some people considering cosmetic surgery on their noses?

• Of those who said they would consider the idea of cosmetic surgery on their noses, more than 75% lack confidence in their appearance
• Among this group, the average rating of their own looks is only 4.87 out of 10, compared to an average of 5.6 across all respondents
• 49% have a preferred side of their face when taking photos, compared to 21% for those who are not considering surgery

More than 75% of these individuals rated their own nose as a 5 out of 10 or less, with an overall weighted average score of 3.48

The complete survey findings

To what extent would you say you are confident about your appearance?

Please rate your own appearance, on a scale of 1 to 10

To what extent do you like your appearance in photographs taken by other people?

To what extent do you like your appearance in ‘selfies’ that you have taken?

Do you have a preferred 'side' of your face that you show off in photographs?

Which statement best describes your attitude towards taking ‘selfies’?

How often do you use a filter on your ‘selfies’?

What is your reason for using a filter on your ‘selfies’?

Please rank your own facial features in order of preference, with 1 being your favourite

How highly would you rank your nose in terms of appearance?

Would you ever consider undergoing cosmetic surgery on your nose?

To what extent do you like the size of your nose?

To what extent do you like the shape of your nose?