Women have 84 bad skin days a year – and only feel happy with their skin a third of the time

Biggest skin concerns are wrinkles, facial hair, scars and acne – with a quarter of women struggling to find the skincare routine that’s right for them

The average woman has 84 bad skin days a year – and only feels fully comfortable with her appearance 35% of the time.

A survey of 2,000 British women found that 47% had concerns about their skin, with the main concerns being wrinkles, facial hair and dark circles under the eyes.

Acne, stretch marks and scars are also some of the biggest concerns women have when it comes to their skin.

Of the many different skin conditions, 43% suffered from sunburn, 29% complained of acne and more than a third had facial hair.

Radha Parmar, Skin Advisor at the acne treatment brand, nuvawho commissioned the survey, said: “There are so many variations in skin conditions that women experience and it is not always easy to manage them.

“No matter how small or small they can really have an effect on self-confidence, which could have a big impact on how they go about their daily lives.”

More than half admit their appearance is far from perfect, and nearly two-thirds wish they had better skin – with 25% admitting they are jealous of others.

For 37%, their skin anxiety exists because they find it “embarrassing”, while more than a fifth believe that they always need to wear makeup to feel comfortable with their appearance.

Of those with acne, 61% continue to hide it with concealer and foundation, even though they think it won’t help.

It also emerged that one in three people (32%) get nervous when they have to show certain parts of their body.

When it comes to a skincare routine, a quarter of women struggle to find the right one, as 21% struggle to know how to take care of their skin.

Nearly three in ten regret not starting a facial skincare routine sooner than they did, while 23% don’t think theirs works but continue to do so anyway.

Although the average woman spends more than two hours on her routine each week, one in five say she has “no idea” what will help her improve it.

Moisturizer (68%), cleanser (45%) and plain water (38%) are the top things women use in their daily skin care routine.

And the average amount of money spent on products each month is almost £20.

The study, conducted via OnePoll, also found that half of the women (49%) started having skin problems at an early age.

But a further 28% have only recently begun to suffer from some condition.

Radha Parmar added, “When it comes to a woman’s skincare routine, the amount of information available is overwhelming, so it can be difficult to make decisions based on that.

“It also doesn’t help that there are thousands of products out there all claiming to do the same thing, so it’s no wonder women are struggling with what’s best for their skin.

“It’s been really interesting to see the different responses across this research and to learn a bit more about what women think about their skin in general.”