London - A third of women fear their appearance will hold back their careers, with one in ten even admitting to calling in sick because they are having a “bad” hair or skin day and can't bear to show their face.
New research has shown almost a fifth of 2 000 working women polled said that they felt pressure to always look good in order to live up to social expectations.
The survey was commissioned to coincide with the launch of a new range of active dermatology products by SEQuaderma.
Jo Carey, pharmacist and skin expert at LloydsPharmacy, said: “The results of this survey have highlighted the growing problem women face when it comes to skin health - and the fact that it can have a psychological as well as physical impact on their lives.
“Many people living with skin conditions struggle to cope with the symptoms and can find it hard to know where they can go for advice. There is a common lack of support available as it is often seen as purely a cosmetic problem.”
Of the women who admitted to taking days off work, nearly 40 percent confessed to regularly doing so due to feeling unhappy with their looks - while for those with skin conditions, this figure rose to 70 percent.
Forty-two percent said they link their self-esteem directly with the way they look.
And it's mental turmoil for two-thirds of the women who said feeling pressure to look their best affects their self-esteem.
On a bad day, almost a fifth confessed they spend longer getting ready for work.
But hiding away is the only option for a self-conscious one in twenty, who said they've resorted to avoiding public situations at all costs.
In fact, 21 percent of the women polled admitted they'd cancelled meeting friends when ashamed of their face - while nearly one in ten has postponed romantic dates.
Carey added: “It’s normal for everyone to feel down about their skin and appearance from time to time, but how we deal with a flare-up or an image crisis can make all the difference.”
Daily Mail