3.12
Sacrificing health for appearance In addition to disordered relationships with food and exercise, the Inquiry received evidence that some individuals may pursue activities that damage their health for the sake of their appearance. The Inquiry heard that a proportion of young girls who take up smoking do so to suppress their appetite88 and a significant proportion avoid giving up for fear of putting on weight. The Inquiry heard that a minority of people may engage in obsessive exercising or become exercise-dependent due to body image dissatisfaction.89 This can have a number of side-effects including musculoskeletal injury, reduction in immunity or fatigue. It was also suggested that some people with eating disorders may overexercise in order to manage their weight.
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All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image
Professor Nichola Rumsey said that appearance concerns may interfere with patients taking medications because of concerns about appearance altering sideeffects, such as hair loss or facial growths. She added that there may be an issue in which healthcare professionals can sometimes focus on the treatment of medical conditions with respect to functionality or pain, but not discuss the impact on appearance. The Inquiry heard that this could include arthritis where the consultant will talk about pain and function, but not about appearance, or managing diabetes in which patients may have concerns about weight gain. Breast Cancer Care, for example, reported that breast cancer treatments can impact on patients’ body image, which can in turn affect their return to work and use of communal changing facilities, and can contribute to social isolation.