A QUARTER of teenage boys would consider plastic surgery to match the looks and physiques of their celebrity idols.

The study of 2,000 boys, with an average age of 15, found young men agonised about their appearance just as much as teenage girls and crave the winning smile of Brad Pitt or the "six-pack" stomach muscles of David Beckham.

Researchers said 10 per cent believed they will definitely go under the knife for plastic surgery and 26 per cent said they would possibly have cosmetic operations. Just 13 per cent said they were happy with their bodies.

The most commonly coveted procedures were liposuction, penis enlargement and a nose job.

Around 84 per cent of the teenagers believed a better body would improve their life. They said pressure from girls and celebrity pictures had fuelled their insecurities.

Dr Christine Griffin, a social psychologist at the University of Bath, said: "We live in a culture where we are bombarded with images of air-brushed perfection which can make people feel inadequate."

Wendy Gidley, training officer for Youth Action Wiltshire said: "The boys we work with are concerned about their clothes and hair because they want to fit into a certain group."

Respondents to the study, commissioned by weekly teenage magazine SNEAK, hinted that they ignored traditional taboos about using beauty products with almost three-quarters saying they would use fake tan, hair dye and moisturiser. Michelle Garnett, editor of the magazine, said: "It hasn't escaped teenage boys the 'pecs appeal' stars like Beckham have."

More than three-quarters said they have been depressed about their looks, six out of 10 claimed they worry about their body size and shape at least twice a week and more than a quarter said they had concerns every day.

Ben Payne