A new survey commissioned by leading vascular clinic, The Whiteley Clinic, has revealed the UK's most 'embarrassing' health concerns, along with the key reasons why people put off going to see a doctor about said conditions.
The poll has found that the majority of both men (57%) and women (63%) have had one or more experience where they have delayed going to see a medical professional about a health concern due to embarrassment, with a selection of common problems including piles, body odour, acne and bad breath ranking as the most humiliating conditions.
Topping the poll as the most embarrassing health problem for UK men is unpleasant excessive sweating (50%) - with half of male respondents stating that they struggle to deal with this socially awkward problem.
Second on the list for men is haemorrhoids or 'piles', which received a third of the vote (33%). Bad breath came in third position, with 17% of those men surveyed indicating that this is their most humiliating health problem.
For UK women however, uncomfortable piles was voted as number one on their embarrassing health concerns list, with 45% of those surveyed stating that they would be mortified if they had to address this 'taboo' topic.
Second on the list for women was acne (23%) suggesting that this is an issue which causes embarrassment and stress for many well past their teenage years.
An in-grown toenail came in third position for women receiving 18% of the vote. When quizzed on exactly why people put off going to see a medical professional if suffering from these problems, surprisingly the majority of men (40%) stated that they are nervous that the treatment needed to cure the conditions would be too painful - indicating that when it comes to their health, UK men are not afraid to show their vulnerable side.
However, the prospect of a painful procedure doesn't seem to be an issue for UK women when dealing with embarrassing health concerns, with only 9% of those surveyed highlighting that this would cause them to avoid seeing their doctor. Instead, the majority of women surveyed (64%) highlighted that the process of talking about the embarrassing problem would be enough to put them off visiting their doctor, as they would rather ignore the issue.
One thing that both men and women are in complete agreement on however, is the health issues that you should not be embarrassed about, and seek immediate attention for. In pole position for both genders is spotting a usual lump, with 86% of men and 71% of women choosing this option as the health concern that they would go to the doctors about straight away.
Professor Mark Whiteley from The Whiteley Clinic comments on the results "It's very interesting to see from these latest results which health conditions people deem to be 'embarrassing' and therefore delay going to see their doctor about."
"In reality, no one should feel embarrassed about their health and many of the conditions highlighted in our results are very common ailments, which many people suffer from."
"It's particularly interesting to see there is a nervousness for UK men with regards to the pain associated with treatment for many health conditions. Often, the thought of these procedures is much worse than the reality and advancements within the medical world mean that there is now much less invasive options available to treat many common conditions. For example, at The Whiteley Clinic, we have recently pioneered a new procedure for the treatment of piles called Hembolize which is much more comfortable for the patient, and involves just a simple pin-hole procedure through the neck."
A survey reveals the UK's most embarrassing health concerns