A survey of over 1000 women living in South East England has revealed that nearly 30% believe that stress and anxiety has had the most significant impact on how much they have aged. The survey, by health + aesthetics, a Surrey-based cosmetic medical clinic, also showed that 21% of participants believed that lack of sleep has caused them to age the most and 18% believed having children has had the biggest impact. Poor diet and fitness was in fourth place with 15%.

Factors which have scientifically been proven to speed up the ageing process include smoking, sun exposure and alcohol, but these were chosen by just 13% of participants combined. Studies have shown that sun damage in particular can have a dramatic effect on the ageing process of the skin, but despite this, women still believe stress and anxiety have a much bigger impact.

This discrepancy could highlight a lack of understanding in women of what is actually causing them to age, verses what they believe is making them look older, and could be an area the cosmetics industry needs to educate women on. If stress and anxiety are having a serious impact on how women are ageing, then further studies would need to be done to confirm if this is scientifically correct.

Dr Rekha Tailor, Medical Director at health + aesthetics, commented on the results, “We would have expected women to choose common causes of ageing such as sun damage and smoking. However, it’s clear that women are experiencing high levels of stress and they can see this taking its toll on their skin.”

The top four results are closely related; anxiety and stress are common side-effects of having children, as is lack of sleep. Not getting enough sleep is also a symptom of stress and anxiety. During periods of stress and anxiety, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult and not eating properly can rob the skin of moisture and antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A and C.

Dr Rekha continued, “Taking the time to look after ourselves is a key way to de-stress and many pampering procedures also help to improve the tone and texture of the skin. Women visit our clinic to have treatments as varied as facials and Botox with the aim of improving the texture of their skin, de-stressing and to spend time on themselves.”

“The aim of good cosmetic treatments is to make women look fresh and rejuvenated. It’s not about making someone 45 look 25, it’s about educating women on the most appropriate treatments for them and supporting them in their goal to improve their skin and feel good about how they look.”

For more information, view the full analysis of the survey results here.

 

About health + aesthetics: health + aesthetics (http://www.healthandaesthetics.co.uk) is a multi-award-winning cosmetic medical clinic providing the latest non-invasive aesthetic treatments, body sculpting and weight loss treatments.

Based in Farnham, Surrey, the clinic was established by Dr Rekha Tailor in 2008, a Medical Doctor who has 27 years’ experience in practicing medicine and has specialised as an Aesthetic Practitioner for over 12 years.

Dr Rekha Tailor and the team at health + aesthetics are passionate about achieving results that are natural, lasting and effective for all patients.

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