As a study reveals that four in ten people who use Botox feel compelled to do so repeatedly, Adam Searle, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), will tell a conference of surgeons this week that more patients are becoming "addicted" to surgery.

"Cosmetic surgery is potentially habit-forming," he says, adding that many patients may have imagined ugly body syndrome (also known as body dismorphic disorder), where they become obsessed by what they perceive as a defect in their appearance.

Dr Eileen Bradbury, a consultant psychologist at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, near Manchester, treats patients hooked on cosmetic procedures.

"There is a short-lived result of feeling fabulous, but after the post-procedure high, life goes back to normal and all the mundane problems return, so you need to go for another fix."

"I've been having Botox every three months for the past two years at £500 a time. It's completely addictive and I'll definitely have the injections for the rest of my life. I don't ever want lines again.

I was so excited the first time I had it. I remember giving £500 to my therapist, Mary Barber, for the Botox injections into my forehead and around my eyes.

I hated my wrinkles and didn't want to look old before my time. I'd already had a boob job and went for regular saline injections to plump up my lips at £500 each, so having Botox wasn't such a big deal.

It takes a week for the full effects to kick in and the results are absolutely brilliant. I don't have a single line on my forehead or around my eyes for about three months afterwards.

It's a bit strange not being able to move the muscles around my eyes and forehead once they are paralysed by the Botox, but you soon get used to it.

The great thing about it is that it doesn't just smooth out my skin, it also lifts my whole eye area and makes me look much more awake and bright-eyed.

I've noticed that I'm getting wrinkles in the bits where I don't have the injections, such as my actual eyelids and around my mouth and nose; I need to see what I can do about those.

I'm seriously considering having the latter. I already use a roll-on solution that stops me sweating for two weeks, and would love to be able to stop it for longer.

I do worry a bit about the long-term effects of Botox because no one knows what they are. But I don't worry enough for it to put me off. Even my mum has had a bit of Botox since I started.

So has my boyfriend (who's also called Jay). He's an actor so it's important for him to look bright and youthful as the industry tends to favour the young.

"I started having Botox four years ago. It was mainly because I had deep lines above my nose and across my forehead which made me look stressed and angry.

A friend who'd been to a clinic in Manchester told me about Botox. At first, I thought it was too extreme. Injecting botulism straight into the skin sounded horrific.

I was apprehensive because I'd read that it is effectively injecting toxins into your face. But we take in enough toxins anyway with the food that we eat, so I wasn't unduly concerned.

Almost immediately my frown and laughter lines had disappeared, and I looked ten years younger. The biggest improvement was that I looked less stressed.

"Once you start having Botox, it's very hard to stop as you get used to the way your face looks. I am terrified that if I stop now, all my frown lines and wrinkles will return.

After appearing on Big Brother, I lost about a stone-and-a-half and my face started to look gaunt. That's why I began to have Botox and lots of other surgery — a breast augmentation, a nose job, lip enhancement.

I had wanted to re-shape my Roman nose since I was about 13. When I was on the show, I was called "beaky" or "the witch" — you've no idea how hurtful that is.

But before the show, I never had the money to do anything about it. When I left, however, I had enough money for the operation. I spent weeks researching the best plastic surgeon.

In the end, I had a consultation in Harley Street with a Mr Kahn for the Transform Medical group, and then the operation at the Hampstead Hospital.

The operation cost about £5,000 and I loved the result — my nose was so much smaller and neater. My breast surgery cost another £5,000.

I spend about £1,000 a year on Botox. It's a fantastic way of making your lips look full, like a child's, without getting that dreadful trout pout.

I began having Botox after my husband, Brian, died of a heart attack at the age of 54. It was very traumatic and it's been so hard for me ever since.

I lost a lot of weight and I begin to look very thin, gaunt and ill. I knew I needed to do something about my appearance, and I'd heard a lot about Botox.

The latter operation cost £2,000 and involved a very fine needle taking the fat from my stomach. The fat was then frozen for three weeks, before it was gently injected into my face.

I also use Botox as a brow lift — Dr Saleh injects it into the middle of my forehead and it arches my brows. It makes me look much more wide-eyed and youthful.

I know that thousands of other women rely upon Botox to keep them looking youthful and — knowing the results — I'm not surprised at all that they do.

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