- Dr Dawn Harper, Mica Paris and Jason Gardiner Lead Launch of New SurveyReport Showing Impact of Unwanted Facial Hair in Women
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- This Release is Intended for UK Consumer Media Only
The We Can Face It campaign for women with unwanted facial hair (UFH) hasbeen launched today at a celebrity-backed event held at the Sunbeam Studiosin West London. Television personalities Dr Dawn Harper (Channel 4'sEmbarrassing Bodies), Mica Paris (soul singer) and Jason Gardiner (style gurufrom ITV's This Morning) announced the results from the We Can Face It: 1,000Women's Survey. The survey is the first of its kind in the UK and hasrevealed that 98% of women with UFH regularly have negative or criticalthoughts about their appearance due to facial hair1 and a third experienceanxiety if they can not remove the hair immediately.(1)
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The We Can Face It campaign, sponsored by Almirall Ltd, is an awarenesscampaign that aims to communicate the full health impact of excess, unwantedfacial hair; create a supportive community of like-minded women with thecondition and to encourage women to feel confident when speaking with theirdoctor about management and treatment options for their condition.
Gloucestershire-based GP Dr Dawn Harper, well known for addressing taboohealth topics on Embarrassing Bodies and one of the expert panel leading thecampaign said, "Unwanted facial hair is a condition that is much more commonin the UK than the general public might believe. It affects around 40% ofwomen and can have a detrimental effect on women's physical and mentalhealth, body image and self esteem. I am very pleased to be supporting thiscampaign, which will hopefully show women that they are not alone and that arange of treatment and support options are available to them through theirGP."
The survey findings have highlighted that the impact of UFH on a womangoes far beyond the superficial or physical appearance of the hair andregularly impacts on women's social lives and relationships. 89% of womenadmitted that they would feel more confident if they didn't have facialhair(1) and one third said that their unwanted facial hair has regularlystopped them from going out socially.(1) Dating and relationships are alsoseverely limited, with around 42% of women saying that facial hair hadprevented them from going on dates (57% in the 18 to 35 age group)(1) andover 40% saying that their unwanted facial hair has stopped them from formingrelationships (a figure that rose to over half (54%) in the 18 to 35 agegroup).(1)
Mica Paris commented, "The We Can Face It campaign is really helping tobring UFH out of the shadows and onto the public radar. It is shocking thatso many women are not fully enjoying their social life or formingrelationships because they are so concerned about their facial hair. I hopethis campaign will help women to start talking about the condition with closefamily or friends so that they don't have to suffer in silence."
Much-needed improvements in support were uncovered by the survey, withover half of women saying that they felt uncomfortable talking to theirfamily and over two thirds being uncomfortable discussing facial hair withfriends.(1) More than two thirds use the internet as their primary source ofinformation,(1) but the majority are not seeking professional help from theirGP, stating reasons such as not wanting to waste the GP's time, feelingembarrassed or being concerned they won't be taken seriously. (1)
Anxiety is commonplace and women also list other strong negative emotionssuch as embarrassment, depression and even stress, as a result of theirfacial hair.(1) The negative psychological impact of UFH was found to be muchhigher in younger women aged between 18 and 35 years.(1) UFH can also causewomen to significantly limit their prospects and development at work: almosta quarter of women surveyed said that their unwanted facial hair had stoppedthem from going for a promotion at work and more than a quarter said thatthey hold back from putting themselves forward for tasks at work because oftheir facial hair.(1)
Jason Gardiner, This Morning's style guru co-hosted the launch event aswell as holding a style seminar for the attending women, he said "I'mdelighted to support We Can Face It and hope that through highlighting theimpact of UFH, more women will be inspired to take steps towards liftingtheir confidence and self image through style, beauty and health advice. Ireally enjoy talking to the women about feeling and looking good and wouldlove to see the women who have negative feelings as a result of their facialhair taking my advice into their everyday lives to lift their outlook andoverall confidence."
Additional information on coping with UFH and finding support can befound on the campaign website at http://www.wecanfaceit.com along with thefull survey report and results.
Notes to Editors
About the We Can Face It campaign
The We Can Face It campaign, sponsored by Almirall Ltd, is an awarenesscampaign that aims to communicate the full health impact of excess, unwantedfacial hair; create a supportive community of like-minded women with thecondition and to encourage women to feel confident to talk to their doctorabout how to manage and treat their condition.
The We Can Face It campaign launch is being supported by a team ofexperts. The campaign experts are:
About the 1,000 Women's Survey
The online survey was carried out by Opinion Health among 1,000 womenthroughout the UK aged from eighteen to over 65 years who had been identifiedas having unwanted facial hair. The research was conducted in February andMarch 2010.
About Hirsutism and Unwanted Facial Hair (UFH)
Hirsutism is defined as the presence of excess terminal (coarse) hairs infemales in a pattern typically seen in adult males (androgen-dependent areas)and is assessed as having a Ferriman-Gallwey score(2) of eight or more.
Unwanted facial hair (UFH) is usually the main concern for women and hasno known cause in many cases but can affect women from all walks of life,with some Asian and Mediterranean ethnicities being particularly susceptibleto inheriting the condition (hereditary or constitutional hirsutism). Knowncauses of UFH include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), hormonal changesduring the menopause and some drug therapies. UFH can be a profoundlydistressing condition that can have severe negative effects on self-image,self-esteem and confidence, often leading women to become socially isolatedand withdrawn.
About Almirall
Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company is based on innovationand committed to health. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, the companyresearches, develops, manufactures and commercialises its own R&D andlicensed drugs with the aim of improving people's health and wellbeing. Thetherapeutic areas on which Almirall focuses its research resources arerelated to the treatment of asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive PulmonaryDisease), rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and otherdermatological conditions. Almirall's products are currently present in over70 countries while it has direct presence in Europe and Latin America through11 affiliates.
References
1) 1,000 Women Survey, Almirall slide set on file, March 2010
2) Blume-Peytavi U, Hahn S. Medical treatment of hirsutism. DermatolTher. Sept-Oct, 2008; 21 (5): 329-39 Review- Professor Steve Franks, Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology Imperial College London and Consultant Endocrinologist at St Mary's and Hammersmith Hospitals, London - Dr Dawn Harper, General Practitioner, Gloucestershire - Dr Alexandra Mizara, Counselling Psychologist and specialist in psychodermatology, The Royal Free Hospital, London - Charlotte Footman, Electrologist Adviser, St Mary's Hospital, London - Rachel Hawkes, Chair, Verity (UK charity for women living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
SOURCE Almirall Ltd
