A woman with healthy and glowing skin. Picture: iStock
Did you know that your job can influence the health of your skin, and that not all professions have the same effects?
According to a study conducted by a British cosmetics brand, professionals in the sports and leisure industry have the skin-friendliest jobs.
On the other hand, people working in the pharmaceuticals or construction industries may need to give their skin a little more TLC.
How does the job you do affect your skin?
To find out, the beauty and cosmetics firm Beauty Pie assessed the effects of professional life on workers’ skin, and published a ranking of best and worst professions for skin on its website.
To do this, the specialists interviewed 3,000 people working in 15 different industries and determined 18 of the most common skin stressing factors at work.
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They include, for example, “working in front of a computer screen, wearing a mask, high stress levels and exposure to extreme temperatures,” the study explains.
The answers were used to create a “skin stress score” by occupation, scored out of 100. The higher the score, the more the job can present challenges to the skin.
The findings show that sports and leisure industry professionals have the lowest “skin stress scores.”
“The research shows that those working in this industry rarely worked late, felt stressed or ate unhealthy food at work,” the study explains.
This is followed by occupations in the education sector, with a score of 38, then law with 41. Next in the list come healthcare professions, with a score of 42 out of 100.
The experts list three factors that can directly impact the skin of nurses and doctors: long days, work-related fatigue and skipping lunch breaks.
On the other end of the scale are science, pharmaceutical, construction and energy industry jobs.
Construction-industry professionals — second to last with a score of 70 — are “likely to experience itchiness and irritation as a result of their exposure to extreme weathers,” the experts say. In addition, “wearing masks can also lead to breakouts and acne.”
The science and pharmaceuticals industry comes in last place with a score of 74. The experts explain that employees in this sector finish their day late and frequently work nights, and that this “can lead to sleep deprivation, which can worsen dark circles under the eyes and make the area puffy and swollen.”
Their workplace is also singled out. Either professionals work in air-conditioned locations, which can dry out or irritate the skin, or they are outdoors and subjected to extreme temperatures in winter and summer, leading to premature aging of the skin.
*The survey was conducted by Censuswide among 3,000 UK respondents aged 16 and over.
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