British women spend more money on their looks than they do on their health, a study revealed yesterday (Fri).

The typical female forks out an average of #336 a year on hair products, make-up and fake tan in a bid to look young, but just #228 is spent on vitamins and gym membership.

And while three quarters enjoy spending cash on looking their best, just 41 per cent like heading to the shops for health supplements and nutritional food.

The statistics emerged in study of women aged between 18 and 65 who were quizzed on their spending habits and attitudes when faced with choosing between image or health.

Yesterday (Sun), a spokesman for mutual healthcare provider Benenden Healthcare Society, which commissioned the report, said: ”It would be wrong to say that these results come as a surprise, as so many of us are guilty of taking shortcuts to ensure we look good – often at the expense of our health.

”There’s a real danger that British women are becoming too focused on what they look like and forgetting to look after their inner health.

”They become obsessed with the latest beauty trends and maintaining a perfect look, but in the end it’s just a mirage and they’re not caring enough for what’s going on inside their bodies.

”Women can be slim and look good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re healthy. Having a balanced lifestyle should be a priority to everyone.”

The study of 3,000 women found four in ten were more worried about their appearance than their health

And six in ten would prefer to live life to the full and ’embrace life’s excesses’ rather than worry about ‘being squeaky clean’.

The extreme lengths women have gone to in order to keep trim at the expense of their health were also exposed.

Nearly 19 per cent admitted to crash-dieting and one in twenty have resorted to laxatives to squeeze into tight-fitting fashions.

A worrying three per cent admitted to taking up smoking to shed a few pounds and 14 per cent have turned to diet pills.

Four per cent said they ended up suffering from an eating disorder to look their best for a night out.

But eight in ten would be encouraged to continue their bad habits if they received a compliment, and one in five would ‘do anything’ to get into a size eight pair of jeans.

Two thirds said they are worried they could be completely unaware of a serious health problem, yet one in five have NEVER been for a check-up at the doctors.

And while 56 per cent said they could cover up the effects of a late night with make-up, one in ten try to emulate the lives of Hollywood stars.

However, many women realise it’s not all about looks.

Only eight per cent think being slim automatically means you’re healthy and a quarter can tell someone is unhealthy just by looking at them.

 

Just one in six reckon celebs who are in the spot light all of the time actual look a picture of health and three quarters make a concise effort to maintain a balanced diet.

More than half (52 per cent) are worried after reading stories about illnesses and the effects of eating the right food in the papers, and one in five regularly go to the gym.

Yet an overwhelming 93 per cent agree that Britain is an unhealthy nation and one in five have had a health scare after wrongly thinking they were fighting fit.