$16,600 for the perfect Pippa posterior

The frenzy over Pippa Middleton's derriere has led to a spike in British women seeking bottom-lifts ... and New Zealand surgeons say they wouldn't be surprised if the trend caught on here.

"I haven't heard of anyone who wants Pippa Middleton's bottom, although she does have quite a nice bottom - at least fully clothed," said Dr Howard Klein, president of the NZ Association of Plastic Surgeons.

Since the royal wedding, British cosmetic surgeons have reported a 60 per cent increase for work on backsides, with one clinic offering a $16,600 Pip Package Perfect Posterior.

Dr Klein said there was a time when "everybody wanted JLo's [Jennifer Lopez] bottom" which was usually achieved with augmentation, although the request was more common overseas.

He added that liposuction around the backside area was a common request in New Zealand.

"The most common request we get for liposuction from women is about improving the shape of their bottom, it's rarely that there is a problem with the buttocks themselves but frequently it's all about bulges."

Isolated liposuction that targeted areas such as the bottom started at about $5000 and could go anywhere up to $18,000, he said.

Auckland plastic surgeon Tristan de Chalain said he did one or two jobs on bottoms each month, but had yet to have a request to copy Ms Middleton's.

"I think it's just a fad - there are a lot of people wanting work done on the buttocks but nobody here is quoting Pip Middleton yet.

However, he said modelling body parts on famous people was not uncommon, and he wouldn't be surprised if the fad caught on here.

"No, not yet but watch this space."

Dr de Chalain said the Brazilian butt lift - for which fat is taken from other parts of the body and put into the bottom - was becoming popular, especially with Asian women.

"It's a Jennifer Lopez, a typical latino-looking bum. Hers is much more shapely [than Pippa Middleton's]."

With the royal newlyweds on honeymoon, British media has focused on Pippa.

Photos of her boating with two friends in Madrid have featured in the main British newspapers, while tabloids have filled countless pages with dieting and nutritional tips to aid women trying to replicate her bottom.

Costs for bottom surgery vary greatly depending on the work done.

"We are now seeing scores of female clients seeking the perfect bottom," Lesley Khan of London's Harley St Skin Clinic said.

"Everyone asks for a bottom like Pippa's - curvy, but not too peachy."

- Staff reporter