Sunbeds, botox and shoes that hurt – the priorities of modern man, apparently

Us modern men are playing Russian roulette with our health in order to improve our appearance through sunbeds and botox. (Health warning: This is from a UK survey.)

The survey was commissioned by Sovereign Health Care across the water, and gullible idiots like us pick up the baton and run with it.

Okay, so it’s fair to say we’re taking all this with a pinch of salt. Right, we might know a few lads who put themselves through a tanning regime or two, and we’ve heard of others who partake in a bit of botox.

But really, we can’t all be tarred by that fake-tan-drenched brush, can we?

Anyway, here are the headline findings from the survey, which purports to have canvassed the opinions of 1,000 British men.

-          10% have made online purchases of cosmetic treatments such as tanning injections or teeth bleachers

-          20% regularly use sunbeds to achieve a year-round tan

-          60% admit to wearing shoes that are fashionable but uncomfortable

-          72% of those in vanity-induced discomfort would not seek medical attention until the pain became unbearable

-          81% have had cosmetic enhancements at the expense of regular healthcare check-ups

And who’s to blame for all this madness? Well, none other than style icon himself, Wayne Rooney.

Scott Beswick, who’s described somewhat unconvincingly as a celebrity stylist, said: “There is no doubt that more men than ever before are investing in their looks and they are willing to pay a lot of money to look good. The influence of stars like Wayne Rooney, who has openly admitted to having a hair transplant, has also made it more acceptable for men to admit their vanity.

“I regularly work with male clients and a day’s pampering includes everything from a manicure to a spray tan, in fact every detail is covered to make sure they are perfectly groomed!

“One noticeable trend is that these days I spend less time applying traditional make-up such as foundation and bronzer as a lot of people are regularly using treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers to make sure their skin is flawless.”

All of which makes us feel happy that we live on this side of the pond. After all, when it comes to style role models aren’t we much better off with Daithi O Sé than Wazza Rooney?