Beauty and cosmetics firm Beauty Pie assessed the impact of professional life on workers’ skin, and published a ranking of best and worst professions on its website.
To do this, the researchers interviewed 3,000 people working in 15 different industries and determined 18 of the most common skin stressing factors at work. They included, for example, “working in front of a computer screen, wearing a mask, high stress levels, and exposure to extreme temperatures”.
The answers were used to create a “skin-stress score” by occupation, scored out of 100. The higher the score, the more the job presents challenges to the skin.
Skin-friendly work
The findings revealed that sports and leisure professionals have the lowest skin-stress scores. “Those in this industry rarely worked late, felt stressed, or ate unhealthy food at work,” the study explained.
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.
In last place
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 said.
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. Employees in this sector finish their day late and frequently work nights, and this could “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. Professionals either work in air-conditioned locations, which can dry out or irritate the skin, or they are outdoors and subjected to extreme temperatures, leading to premature ageing.