Members of the US military routinely opt for cosmetic surgery, report finds

Members of the American military are routinely going under the knife for non-essential plastic surgery, a new report has discovered.

While cosmetic surgeons are employed as part of the US military in order to tend to soldiers wounded on the battlefield, they are increasingly being utilised by people who want to improve their aesthetic appearance, Stars and Stripes reported.

A Pentagon audit of patient records revealed that military doctors are performing cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks, liposuction and breast augmentation surgery, without charging patients.

According to the study, some 16 per cent of all procedures carried out during 2008 and 2009 should have been categorised as cosmetic but were not.

One procedure that proved to be particularly popular was male breast reduction - however, rather than for reasons of vanity, this was often carried out because excess breast tissue makes body armour very difficult to wear, said Dr George Broughton, chief of plastic surgery at Landstuhl Medical Center.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, male breast reduction procedures in the UK soared in popularity by 80 per cent during 2009.