Fat injections have become more popular than liposuction, new UK figures show.

The number of women who are transferring fat from one part of the body, such as the hips or thighs, to areas that have lost plumpness through age, including the face or hands, has increased by 13 per cent in just one year.

Meanwhile, the number of women who had lipo has reduced by 14 per cent, according to data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps).

A total of 2,641 women in the UK underwent a fat-transfer procedure last year, making it the seventh most popular cosmetic surgery conducted by Baaps members.

Meanwhile, liposuction has dropped to eighth place, with 2,638 women undergoing the procedure in 2012.

Even though anti-ageing procedures are becoming increasingly popular, boob jobs still top the charts for the most common cosmetic surgeries – almost 10,000 women had breast augmentation in 2012.

Of the 43,172 surgical procedures carried out by Baaps members last year, one in 10 were conducted on men.

The most popular procedures for men were nose jobs, eyelid surgery and breast reduction.

Rajiv Grover, consultant plastic surgeon and Baaps president, said:

“The growth rates for surgical face-lifting and other anti-ageing procedures showed a double-digit rise, despite a double-dip recession.

“Interestingly, for the first time we see a greater number of women having procedures to reinsert fat – known as fat transfer, to add volume to the face – than to remove it, in the form of liposuction.”