Those aged between 18- 24 are more likely to use extreme measures to improve their looks including using steroids illegally to put on muscle, with 6 per cent of this age group admitting to doing this.  Men aged 25-34 were the biggest users of slimming pills (5 per cent).

Almost two thirds of men said they undertake their beauty regime to make themselves feel better and to boost their confidence levels.  More than a quarter believe in taking pride in their appearance and around one in 6 (17 per cent) are trying to keep themselves looking younger.

Other reasons for trying to improve their image included doing it for their partner (almost one in 10), feeling under pressure from other male friends to look good (12 per cent) and 9 per cent blame it on media influence.

Women are more accepting than men when it comes to attitudes towards male beautifying. Over half of females (52 per cent) think that it is alright for men to pluck or wax their eyebrows compared to a third of men (34 per cent) and when questioned, almost two in five women (38 per cent) thought it was fine for men to wear fake tan, compared to just 30 per cent of men.

In addition, women are more open to men adopting techniques typically classed as female grooming activity such as using concealer, as 45 per cent of women believe that this is socially acceptable, whereas 47 per cent of men do not.

One third of men said that they would spend up to £50 on a beauty treatment to make them look/feel better each month. The research also found that on average, men were prepared to pay £346 for a one-off treatment during the course of a year to make themselves feel better. 

In 12 months, almost one in 10 men would be willing to spend up to £500 on a one-off beauty treatment and eight per cent would part with up to £1,000 for a treatment.

How much would you spend on beauty treatments per month? Leave a comment below