Up to 50 per cent of middle-aged women are likely to have cosmetic surgery to help delay the visible aging process, according to a survey in Top Sante Magazine.

The Top Sante survey found that women over the age of 40 are so unhappy with their body that they give themselves an average rating of 3.5 out of ten and many are prepared to undergo surgical procedures to improve their self-esteem.

Just over a tenth of the respondents had already had surgery; 14 per cent claimed they would "definitely" undergo a procedure and an additional 25 per cent said that they "probably" would.