An increasing number of Britons are so keen to improve their appearance that they are willing to take out a personal loan in order to finance cosmetic surgery, it has been revealed.

Research conducted by Abbey shows that nearly one million (918,000) British adults plan to borrow money to pay to go under the knife, with the combined cost expected to reach around £1.4 billion.

The procedure of choice for Britons as a whole is breast augmentation, which is sought after by 27 per cent of those considering plastic surgery. The popularity of this course of action is presumably indicative of the fact that females account for two thirds of Brits considering going under the knife.

Tummy tucks were second on the list of operations which appealed to the most Britons, with 25 per cent of the vote, while 17 per cent are considering having rhinoplasties, or nose jobs.

According to study, the main reason for wanting to take out a uk personal loan in order to fund plastic surgery is to gain more confidence, as cited by 51 per cent of respondents to the poll.

An additional 32 per cent said it was for medical reasons, two per cent said it was down to peer pressure and one per cent say they feel forced into surgery as people laugh at various parts of their bodies.

Meanwhile, a survey of 52,000 people which appears in October's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal and was conducted in America suggests that the majority of people who are considering cosmetic surgery are content with their lot - they just want to look even better.

It had been previously thought that people who wanted to improve their looks suffered from low self esteem. However, this claim has been countered by Doctor Richard D'Amico, president-elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

"This study shows the majority of people who want plastic surgery have a normal level of body satisfaction," he said.

"We use the term 'look as good as you feel' often and it is good to know this is why the average plastic surgery patient has a cosmetic procedure. They are not, in fact, suffering from low or poor self-esteem."

Britons attempting to look as good as they feel are still most likely to have their procedure performed in the UK, the research shows, with 83 per cent opting to stay at home.

Meanwhile, six per cent choose to travel to eastern Europe and two per cent head for the USA to have their procedures carried out - presumably in an attempt to reduce the size of their loan.