Plastic surgeons work overtime as Aussies inject more than fun into Christmas Kathy Vasiliagis wins by a nose after spending $30,000 in five years on cosmetic surgery. Kathy Vasiliagis before her nose job. THE rush is on for Christmas fillers ... and that's not stocking fillers. More than 30 per cent of cosmetic procedures are booked in the weeks leading up to Christmas and some Queensland surgeons are having to extend consultation hours to cope. Annually, Australians spend $1 billion on appearance enhancement procedures, with $300 million of that on botulinum toxin for fillers. "We have extended consultation hours to accommodate the influx of bookings and inquiries," said Dr Terrence Scamp, a plastic surgeon from Esteem Medi Spa on the Gold Coast. "Among people's New Year's resolutions is self-improvement, which often includes some sort of plastic or cosmetic procedures," he said. The stigma associated with plastic surgery is diminishing. The emphasis at Esteem Medi Spa is on the natural look, so that people return to work looking refreshed, rather than having had noticeable alterations. The Christmas break means people can have time off to recover and start the New Year looking their best," he said. According to Dr Scamp, breast and nose surgery are the most popular procedures for women on the Coast while men opt for eye surgery, known as blepharoplasty. Tattoo removal using PicoSure laser is a growing trend too. "People are having their tattoos removed because they've grown out of them, or because they want to update their designs," Dr Scamp said. The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgeons report that their fellows are experiencing a steady increase in procedures of up to 30 per cent per year. Their findings show anti-wrinkle injections, fillers and laser procedures increase with the racing season and steadily through to Christmas and New Year.