The research, conducted by Astral Original, has highlighted that many women feel they have focussed too little on their body and only used creams on their face, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The study shows that a quarter of women believed that their body was ageing faster than it should have, as they had neglected caring for it.

The top three body areas claimed to be showing the worst signs of ageing were the hands, face and neck.

About one in 10 women overall said they were unhappy with their skin and one in three said they only sometimes feel their skin looks and feels good.

Women blame the poor appearance of their skin on dehydration as they drink too little water, insufficient use of moisturiser, smoking and an unhealthy diet.