Remember the episode of Sex and the City where Samantha reveals her fake nipples?

The intrepid quartet soon realise the pulling power of moulded silicone, but while many of their fads have passed into every day life -- Manolos, It bags and eclectic dressing -- Posh Spice herself is heading up the trend.

Photographed recently looking a little, how shall I put it, chilly, Victoria Beckham has been the subject of a round of column inches discussing her prodigious rack. Or rather, the sudden lack of it. From boom to bust and bust to boom, as the ad says, where once a sizeable mound of implants stood firm, now there's naught but a B cup. Oh -- and some peanuts she also appears to be hiding.

The breast reduction is part of her desire to rid herself of her WAG image, apparently, but when it comes to nipples, she's the poster girl for a new fad. Giving a whole new meaning to the term nip and tuck, the Harley Medical Group recently reported a 30pc increase in nipple surgery in Britain over the past 12 months.

Most of that is inversion correction, says the group, but women are increasingly seeking out surgery to correct oddly-shaped nipples, or to have the areola tattooed a more pleasing colour. That's not the end of it. Harley Medical's Dr Riccardo Frati says we can expect to see an even bigger surge in popularity, thanks to Mrs Beckham.

"Until now there were no 'nipple role models'," the cosmetic surgeon reveals.

Udderly mad, some might say -- but are Irish women following suit? According to Philip Boyle, Marketing Manager with RevaHealth.com, an Irish healthcare search engine that helps users compare thousands of clinics worldwide, the answer is a firm no.

"In Ireland, enquiries mentioning the words nipple or nipples accounted for only 0.5pc of the enquiries made in the second quarter of 2009," he says. But we're still very interested in breast augmentation -- 24.9pc of all searches conducted through the site in the same period shows that users are researching places to get implants. It seems the recession hasn't dulled our desire for cosmetic procedures, and while nipples aren't high on the surgery menu, we're still keen on self-improvement.

What's new in the surgical sector, then? Here are four of the latest developments.

SWEATY BETTY

The issue of hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a problem for many. Recent years have brought new developments in the area including Botox injections to block the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands, but it's not permanent -- the jabs wear off in four to six months.

Vaser -- a system developed to provide a less invasive form of fat removal -- can also be used to tone down excessive underarm sweating as it can effectively target the sweat glands which are located just beneath the skin's surface.

Discounted to €2,850 until the end of July, sufferers can expect to have up to an 80pc reduction in the amount they perspire, bringing their sweat production down to normal levels.

Dundrum Clinic, 4th Floor, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16. 01 216 6778, www.dundrumclinic.com

GEE WHIZZ

Macrolane, a new-generation filler made from hyaluronic acid (which occurs naturally in the body) is often used to provide extra volume in the breasts, or to correct lipo-gone-wrong.

But now Mukesh Lalloo, at Phibsboro's Cosmedix clinic, says he can use it to provide precision vaginal tightening. While Pat Kenny looked a bit non-plussed about the G-spot on a recent Late Late show episode, Mr Lalloo is confident he can find it -- and what's more, he can make it even better than before. The advantage? Gone is the painful and invasive surgical procedure of old, and in comes a treatment with a much shorter recovery time. Downside? You won't be able to get into the saddle for about a week, and as the filler is gradually absorbed, the treatment, which costs from €1,000, will need to be repeated in a year to 18 months.

Cosmedics, St Peters Square, Phibsboro, Dublin 7. 01 860 3144. www.cosmedics.ie

BLONDE AMBITION

If you're fair-haired, laser hair removal has always been out of the question, as the machines work by identifying the pigment in the follicles, and zapping that. If you've no pigment, then the laser has nothing to use as a key, so you've got to resort to other methods of de-fuzzing.

Times have changed. Now, a spray or two of Meladine (a new topical product that's suitable for those with blonde or grey hair) can help to enhance the effect of the laser by adding melanin to the hair follicle pre-treatment. You'll still need to undergo a course of laser sessions, but this is a huge leap forward in hair removal technology for the fair-haired.

Typically, treatment will require two bottles of Meladine at €75 a pop, as well as eight laser sessions, costing from €760.

Harley Medical, 5 Herbert Place, Dublin 2. 1800 24 24 42, www.harleymedical.ie

BOOB JAB

Dublin's Ailesbury Clinic has the latest in breast enhancement techniques including Macrolane instant breast enlargement, from €2,900. If endless digital TV shows have put you off that longed-for boob job thanks to graphic portrayals of just how rough cosmetic surgeons can be with tender flesh, then you might like the sound of this injectible alternative, which can even be inserted into just one breast to correct sizing irregularities. You can typically go up about a cup size, and the treatment takes under an hour. A local anaesthetic is all that's required and while the big advantage is that you won't have the recovery time of major surgery, you can expect to feel tender and sore for a few days afterwards.

The filler itself takes time to settle, and it'll be one-to-two weeks before your boobs feel back to normal.

Like all injectibles, the effect isn't permanent -- you can expect to need a top-up within a year to 18 months.

The Ailesbury Clinic, Suite 6, Merrion Court, Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4. 01 269 2255, www.ailesburyclinic.ie

- Kirstie McDermott