Squeezing, waxing, shaving and slathering on lotions, we’re happy to go to extreme lengths to keep ourselves looking our best; and on average, we spend the equivalent of six weeks of our lives applying moisturiser.
Researchers found adults typically spend around three minutes a day using moisturising products in a bid to alleviate dry and cracked skin – and to keep wrinkles at bay.
But it doesn’t end there – during the course of their lifetime they will also spend seven weeks washing their faces and four weeks exfoliating.
Further to this, women will spend a total of three days wearing face-masks and 25 days using anti-ageing serum.
They’ll also spend the equivalent of 23 days applying skin oils, nine days plucking their eyebrows and 10 days painting their nails.
The research also identified our biggest skin worries – with wrinkles the number one concern, followed by dark circles under the eyes and dry skin.
Further to this, the average person endures five ‘bad skin days’ a month.
A third have or are currently suffering with eczema, 37 per cent have had or currently have acne and more than half have been or currently are afflicted with dry skin.
A fifth have avoided social events as a result and a quarter have even felt anxious about being tagged in social media posts.
It also emerged more than half of those polled believe moisturising regularly is a key to battling the signs of ageing.
They estimate they get through three pots of 100ml moisturiser each in a year – adding up to more than six litres over the course of the average adult lifetime.
However around two thirds DON’T have a strict skincare regime – instead treating breakouts and flare-ups as they happen rather than preventing them.
For men, this could be due to a perception among four in 10 that there is a stigma around men using moisturiser and other skincare products.
