Three cheap alternatives to plastic surgery

Saving and Making Money

Emma Roberts
07 August 2010 | 14 Comments

Plastic surgery can sometimes be an expensive and drastic solution to body blunders. Emma Roberts suggests some cheaper alternatives going under the knife.

The summer months can be a cruel time. The security comforts of woolly jumpers and puffy coats are demoted to the bottom drawer and we're forced to opt for more revealing attire.

With thousands of us unhappy with our bodies, more and more Brits are considering going under the knife for a quick aesthetic fix.

But the price of surgery isn’t cheap, so why not try out one of these less drastic and cheaper suggestions?

1) Facial fixes

It seems that all celebrities these days live on a staple diet of Botox and lettuce, with most A-listers having more face-lifts than friends.

But there are other methods of obtaining a youthful visage that don't require a celebrity pay slip.

The cheapest way of faking a facelift is to create a homemade super-health mask. Of course, this won’t drastically change your appearance but it will help your skin radiate with health.

Pour the juice of a lemon in a blender with an egg, four tablespoons of powdered milk and one tablespoon of witch hazel. Blitz away, apply to your face and neck and wash off after fifteen minutes.

If you’re happy to spend a little more money, then there are lots of beauty lotions and potions you could try. I always ensure I read reviews online before even considering handing over my cash and Avon is a great place to pick up a facial fix, as you can read the reviews left by other customers.

2) Body blunders

Very few people have great bodies without working for them. Exercise is by far the cheapest and most effective route to body bliss, so get moving.

Simple activities, such as walking will improve your health and body and are completely free.

In our first ever Frugal Fitness video, Verity Payne finds out how expensive it is to take up rock climbing and the potential benefits of doing so

If you fancy a more exciting energising experience, you could try rock-climbing, cycling or horse riding.

Getting active, even if it’s only a little bit, will boost your body confidence and wellbeing.

Body wraps are a relaxing, temporary slimming aid but you don’t have to go to an expensive spa to have one done, as you can do it yourself at home for a fraction of the price.

For the ultimate indulgent body wrap, melt 250grams of dark chocolate and mix with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Then, cover your body with the mixture and wrap yourself in cling film.

Yes, it sounds like a recipe for one of Delia’s desserts but apparently the antioxidants in the chocolate work wonders against cellulite and the tight wrap helps you sweat out impurities and firms up your skin.

Problem Part	Suggested solutions
Underarms	Eat foods high in silicia which is a collagen molecule that helps strengthen skin. Munch on mushrooms, onions and bamboo shoots. Perform arm raises using tins of food, for a cheap and effective exercise that can be performed at home.
Thighs	Exercise is the best remedy for flabby thighs. Check out the lateral thigh trainer, a mini stepper costing £19.99 that tones you legs, abs and arms. Drink 8 glasses a water a day to combat cellulite.
Breasts	If you’re seriously considering a breast enlargement, then you might want to check out BRAVA. This is a device that will enlarge your breasts by promoting tissue growth and costs £499. Alternatively, if you want firmer breasts there are lots of firming creams out there, including this bra lifting gel costing £5.00 from Avon.
Stomach	Nothing combats a tubby tummy than a little cardio. Combine your cardio exercise with sit-ups but if you don’t see any results, you could opt for colon massage therapy at your local spa which can help you achieve a temporarily flatter stomach. Check out lastminute.com for great spa deals.

3) Cheaters prosper!

Finally, remember that there are lots of sneaky tricks that can help you feel your best. A great tan makes anyone look firmer and slimmer but don’t risk your health by jumping on a sun bed always fake it! Superdrug have some great deals on self-tanners including this Fake Bake tanning lotion for £12.59.

Before you reach for the tanning bottle though, make sure you exfoliate to avoid looking like a tangoed tiger.

A great frugal tip is to make your own exfoliator from two cups of coarsely ground coffee, ½ a cup of raw sea salt and 3 table spoons of massage oil.

Also, check out Salon guinea pig for the chance to have free or heavily discounted beauty treatments.

So the there you have it, these suggestions won’t give you the same effect as going under the knife but they can be great ways to boost your body confidence on a budget.

More:Brilliant Beauty Freebies| How to look beautiful on a budget|

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Comments

maarkyboy
10 August 2010
Jimbo Jimbo Jimbo... look at any boxer or marathon runner and ask them. They will tell you a high fat diet is NOT contra-indicated for these types of sports. It's all to do with intensity/duration. The human body was designed to be able to walk 40 miles a day (not on concrete). I don't know anyone other than amatuer/pro athletes that do this level of activity. Watch cardio folk in the gym watching TV, reading mags and using, quite unnecessarily, waterproof make-up. Radical changes to a normal lifestyle are what is necessary for a natural slim physique. It's not natural to turn a tap on for water or go shopping. Naturally you'd have to walk to a river, hunt or farm. We are living a sedentary, unnatural lifestyle. I count myself in this category even though I am on a trampoline every day, cycle most days and go to the gym 3 times a week. Your weight/flabby belly will tell you if you are doing enough exercise. Nature has no vested interests in deceiving you.
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fuchsiaperfect
09 August 2010
I've lost a good amount of weight (1.5 stone since January - 2 dress sizes smaller) with a combination of increasing the amount of walking I do and making small changes to my diet plus drastically cutting back on the lager - :( The dietary changes I made were: eating more vegetable soup and more protein (tofu as I'm a vegan). Both make you feel fuller for longer. Also because I was drinking less there were no packets of crisps or post-pub chips. The walking (up and down hill, through the snow, sleet and rain) helped with general weight loss although the only areas which are firmer as such are my legs and bum - my shoulders and back are stronger as I carried a rucksack sometimes. The good thing is that it's a change I can live with. I have lost the weight I wanted to but am keeping up the walking because I enjoy it and got fit enough to do 3 days on the Cuillin this year. I go to the pub occasionally but not as much as I did. It would be great if there were a magic quick fix solution to lose weight and get fit but I've not found one.
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eLJay
09 August 2010
Jimbo is right in that you should attempt to lose weight before you start exercising (and have a medical check first), when you are lighter you exert less force on your joints, the last thing you want is a knee injury stopping you ever exercising properly. The exception I would make to this is swimming as the water resistance should stop this occuring. If your weight is affecting your health and you can't lose any weight by just dieting then you should be exercising (its really weighing up which is the biggest threat to your health), see your GP and then see if you can work your routine into your everyday habits which is really the trick to keeping yourself healthy. As with anything seek proper medical advice (I don't want to encourage anyone out there into any eating disorders).
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