Naturally, after two hours on the operating table having a tummy tuck as well as liposuction on her thighs and hips, the 40-year-old accountant was in some pain. And her bank balance was \u00a32,500 lighter, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But so desperate was Lisa to reinvent herself after her husband\u2019s adulterous affair and her subsequent divorce, she didn\u2019t even need to see the results to know that the surgery was worth every penny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Under the bandages, I knew there was a new me waiting to emerge,\u2019 says Lisa, who lives in Altrincham, Cheshire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018The surgery was very much a reaction to my divorce \u2014 I wanted to re-invent myself and get my revenge after the way my ex made me feel about myself.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Lisa didn\u2019t stop at one operation. She\u2019s now the proud owner of perky new breasts, thanks to an enlargement and uplift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I\u2019m virtually unrecognisable from the woman who went through such a bitter divorce four years ago,\u2019 she admits. \u2018With each procedure, I felt my confidence increasing. I have never felt so unattractive and hurt as I did the morning my husband sat me down and told me that he\u2019d met someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018But having this work done was as if I were putting a metaphorical two fingers up to the man who had all but destroyed my life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Now, I have this fantasy that I will meet him walking down the street and he won\u2019t recognise me \u2014 then, when he does, he will be astounded. The thought of that happening puts such a smile on my face.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undergoing such a dramatic transformation certainly gives new meaning to the old platitude \u2018making a fresh start\u2019. But Lisa is not the only divorcee making a date, on the rebound, with a plastic surgeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a phenomenon that is being dubbed \u2018vengeance surgery\u2019, divorcees now make up more than a quarter of business, according to figures released last month, with many admitting they are having surgery to make their ex-partners jealous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is clearly a lucrative, niche market. Stateside, some clinics are already offering divorce packages to men and women seeking surgery after a break-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while there is no doubt that cosmetic work can boost self-esteem, how wise is it for women to undergo surgery \u2014 with all the health risks this entails \u2014 when they are clearly in an emotionally distraught state? Are clinics not guilt of taking advantage of this unhappiness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Lisa, who doesn\u2019t have children and is now happily settled with a new partner, insists that she has no regrets, she admits she felt vulnerable and emotionally crushed when her husband confessed to an affair after eight years of marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018We were childhood sweethearts,\u2019 she says. \u2018I met him when I was 15 and I thought that we would be together for ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018But when he had an affair with a woman he met on a training course, it pulled the rug completely from under my feet. I admit I had let myself go a bit \u2014 but then, we both had. As we both loved our food, there were plenty of cosy nights in and shared bottles of wine. I just never imagined he would ever go off with someone else.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once Lisa knew the truth, however, there was no going back. \u2018I filed for divorce the following week,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But her self-confidence was shattered. \u2018I thought that no man would ever look at me again,\u2019 she admits. \u2018For months, I buried myself in my work, and wouldn\u2019t even go out with friends. Then, one evening, I took a long hard look at myself in the mirror. I saw a dowdy woman who had let herself go and was looking older than her years.\u2018Was this the real me? Was I ever going to feel good about myself? It was at that moment I thought: \u201cRight, I am really going to do something about this.\u201d So I did.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the stress of the break-up, Lisa had already lost a considerable amount of weight but she says that, naked, her body \u2018was a disaster\u2019. \u2018I had so much loose skin, my stomach was sagging and my breasts seemed to have disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I had started going to the gym and felt as if I had more energy, but I loathed the way my body was sagging,\u2019 she says. \u2018I am not the sort of person who would normally think about cosmetic surgery \u2014 my mother was horrified \u2014 but I couldn\u2019t think of any other route to take.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lisa booked a consultation at a clinic and says the consultant took her fears seriously.\u2018I thought I might just have my breasts made firmer, but in the end I had a tummy tuck, liposuction on my thighs and breast implants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I spent about \u00a35,000 \u2014 but, to me, this was money well spent. It was my perfect revenge: to reinvent myself as a beautiful and sexy woman.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018In years gone by, changing your hair, dieting and re-vamping your wardrobe was the quick fix, but now plastic surgery is more affordable and so very available, it\u2019s the next choice on the list,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018However, the real change needs to be an inside job. Once you learn more about who you are and how you operate in a relationship, you begin to realise that what\u2019s on the outside does not need changing much at all.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018In today\u2019s culture, many people equate looks with happiness but it\u2019s important to solve the issues you have with yourself first, rather than going straight for a cosmetic procedure you may regret later,\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not all surgeons are so scrupulous. Charlotte Marshall, 29, a former air hostess who lives in Lincolnshire, admits she may have rushed into surgery too quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To save money, she flew to Brazil for her post-divorce boob job and has been left with some scarring as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, such was the depth of her self-loathing, the experience didn\u2019t put her off having further work done to her face on her return to London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For here is the sad truth: Charlotte was attractive before she opted for surgery, she just didn\u2019t know it. The years she spent in an unhappy relationship left her convinced she was ugly and worthless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018My ex basically eroded my self-confidence,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I never knew where he was or who he was with. He loved to go out partying and dancing, whereas I was always tired from my long shifts as a member of Virgin Atlantic cabin crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I became so anxious about our relationship that I stopped eating, and became thinner and thinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To view Dr Ayoubi in the media click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n