When Vikas Tiwary, 26, bagged a dream job as regional sales manager with an MNC, he promptly went under the knife — for a rhinoplasty to lift his nose.

When Ritika, 21, bagged her first modelling assignment with a jewellery brand, she rushed to a cosmetic surgeon — to correct her asymmetrical breasts and remove flab round her waist through liposuction.

Cosmetic surgery even before taking their first steps into the professional arena is fast catching on among the young. The letter of appointment prompts a clinical counting of warts. The most obvious ones — from tip to toe — must disappear to be in perfect shape for the first day at work.

“Cosmetic surgery is performed to reshape or restore the normal structure of the body to improve appearance and increase self-esteem,” sums up Anupam Golash, plastic and cosmetic surgeon. “Queries are increasing every month and the patient profile is growing younger. We receive more than 60 consultations every month, of which 20 or more convert into surgeries.”

The most-sought-after cosmetic corrections are rhinoplasty (reshaping of the nose), scar revisions, liposuction (removal of excess flab) and hair transplant.

For 27-year-old Mohan Saraf, a corporate communications executive with an FMCG company, his rapidly-receding hairline was a cause for social embarrassment. “It was affecting my self-esteem. Everybody I met would comment on my hair loss, till I could not take it any more and decided to go in for a hair transplant. Though it burnt a hole in my pocket, I feel far more confident now,” says Saraf, six months after the procedure.

Specialists attribute the cosmetic trend to a combination of physical and psychological factors.

“To have an edge over others in today’s competitive world, one needs to look good and be smart. Moreover, looking good does provide a psychological boost,” feels Sachin Varma, dermatologist, Apollo Gleneagles.

To hit the workplace running from Day One is now imperative. As psychiatrist Rima Mukherjee puts it: “These days, the first impression at work is often the last impression. Let’s face it, an attractive boy or girl in office tends to get noticed and talked about far more.”