July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Britons are likely to almost double spending on plastic surgery to about 1 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) a year by 2009 as procedures become more socially acceptable and recovery times shorten, according to market research company Mintel.

In 2005, Britons spent 539 million pounds on surgical self improvement, a 50 percent increase from the year before, Mintel said in an e-mailed statement today. The most popular areas for renovation were the face and neck, accounting for 30 percent of procedures, and costing 108 million pounds, the company said.

The fastest-growing sector was breast augmentation. The number of enhancements jumped 150 percent between 2003 and 2005, and now cost Britons 100 million pounds a year, Mintel said.

The social acceptance of cosmetic surgery and reductions in recovery times are driving the increase in spending, according to Mintel senior market analyst Jenny Catlin. ``Factor in our obsession with celebrity and our endless pursuit of the perfect look, future prospects are sound,'' she said.

The research was carried out by London-based Mintel, in conjunction with the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and the Harley Medical Group.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Das in London at sdas4@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 13, 2006 05:29 EDT