Breast implants are becoming as common for women in the North as buying cosmetics, a leading plastic surgeon has warned. The number of operations has swelled in the last two years by a staggering 150 per cent, with Newcastle the UK city with the most boob jobs completed outside London. One of the UK's leading cosmetic clinics, Transform Medical Group, revealed that of the 5000 operations they carried out last year, Newcastle was the second most popular city for breast operations with 465 women choosing to go under the knife. Plastic surgeon Norman Waterhouse warned that telly makeover shows are making cosmetic surgery appear commonplace. He said: "People today live longer and, increasingly, seek to achieve and maintain an appearance that matches their self-image at every stage of life. "But deceptive advertisements and television programmes promising total makeovers often give the impression that plastic surgery is as simple as buying cosmetics. "The resulting confusion is alarming, and prospective patients need to be reminded that undergoing surgery is a serious commitment." From 2003 to 2005 the number of boob jobs increased from 10,000 to 26,000 nationally. The most popular age bracket among women for breast augmentation is 31 to 40, making up 34 per cent of operations. Of the rest, 32pc are aged 21 to 30, and 7pc fall into the 18 to 20 bracket. A surprisingly large number - 17pc - are aged between 41 and 50 and 10pc are 51 and over. Many North celebrities including former Big Brother contestant and porn channel presenter Michelle Bass of Newcastle, have had breast implants. So has Love Island babe Bianca Gascoigne, former step-daughter of footballer Gazza, who confessed on the show she also had a boob job even though she was only 19. Rebecca Johnson of Transform Medical Group, said Newcastle was the real "boob job capital" because North women like to look good. She said: "Breast augmentation accounts for around 54pc of our total number of operations which last year was over 10,000. "Women in the North tend to be very image conscious and there seems to be a trend there to go for bigger cup sizes. "A lot of makeover shows and magazines like Heat do have an influence on young women who are reading about celebrities with the perfect figure who are under close scrutiny to look good. "There is a lot of pressure in society to conform to an ideal especially when you keep seeing pictures of actresses with big breasts. "People have more access to financial loans and while just 10 years ago people would talk about surgery but never do it because of money, now they can afford it and they'll go ahead. "It's part of every day life now." ---------------------------------------------------------
 Bigger breasts to thank for modelling career Mum of three Andrea Denley says breast implants have changed her life by giving her a whole new career as a model. She took the plunge to go under the knife two years ago and said it was the best decision she's ever made. After the surgery she was signed up with the AM model agency in Newcastle and is a successful fashion model. Andrea, from North Shields, said before the operation she was flat chested and lacked confidence. Now she loves wearing strappy vests and pretty tops. The 29-year-old paid £3900 to go from a 32AA to a 32D with cosmetic clinic, the Hospital Group. She said: "I did not start modelling until I had my boobs done. I used to walk around hunched up and would hate having my picture taken. Even a 32AA bra was big on me, I was that none existent. I used to spend a fortune on wearing gel bras, so it would look like I had boobs. "I had been asked to model when I was 19, but I was so self conscious about my chest I just said I couldn't do it. "I never wore bikinis because people would see I would have no chest. Now I have my boobs done I am looking forward to my holiday this year in Spain so I can wear a bikini on the beach and I love modelling." Andrea disagrees with comments that having implants is as easy as buying cosmetics. But she admits women can be influenced by how celebrities look in magazines. She added: "I'd thought about implants since I was 17 and how I could raise the money. It was my husband who offered to pay for it because he knew how happy it would make me." | 
