Appearance Matters 10 Round-Up

Last month, our CEO, Sue Schilling, attended Appearance Matters 10, an international biennial conference, hosted by the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) at the University of the West of England (UWE). This research conference focuses on the psychological and social aspects of appearance differences, bringing together experts from various fields to share their latest findings and insights. 

Sue found the talks both inspiring and highly relevant, with several key highlights standing out: 

During her keynote speech, “From zero to 100 million people: Using cross-sector partnerships, evidence-based strategies and disruptive innovation to improve body image and smash beauty stereotypes”, Prof. Philippa Dietrich presented a striking statistic that two in five people would give up a year of their life to achieve their ideal appearance. She emphasised the importance of collaboration with industries to shift societal views on beauty and appearance, advocating for systemic changes to reduce the pressure on individuals to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. 

Prof. Kathleen Bogart also delivered a compelling keynote speech, “Putting a face to appearance research: representation of understudied visible differences”, focusing on the intersection of disability and appearance diversity. She highlighted the importance of fostering resilience and self-advocacy. She challenged parents to think about what, how and when they disclose about their children, without compelling the child to live with the impact of that disclosure indefinitely. 

There was a symposium on “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help those with visible differences, their families and supporting professionals: Developing and testing interventions.” During this Dr. Maia Thornton highlighted work that Alopecia UK has previously advertised as needing participants.  This included the podcast series called "Loving ACTion," made up of seven episodes focusing on intimacy and romantic relationships. Additionally, she discussed a Parenting Toolkit in the form of an e-workbook designed to help parents and carers support those with visible differences. We expect to share these support tools with the alopecia community in due course. 

Dr. Marije van Dalen shared a comprehensive Dutch “Meta-analysis on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in children and adults with alopecia areata.” Her study revealed significant impacts on various aspects of life for those affected, while also pointing out the need for more research on the impact of AA on children's education and overall quality of life. Dr van Dalen explained that future studies should examine the influence of disease severity, disease duration, remission and relapse, and medication use to shed light on at-risk groups in need of referral to psychological care. 

Sue also joined sessions on “Experience and Combatting Stigma”, and whilst these were focused on other health conditions or appearance differences there were familiar themes around social norms expecting perfect skin and hair, and the impact that this has on an individual’s wellbeing. 

Sue said, “The conference was uplifting, it underscored the ongoing efforts to improve the lives of individuals with appearance differences, including alopecia, through research, therapy, and societal change. The themes discussed feel very aligned to our goal to promote that living well with alopecia is possible and reinforces our view that this is as legitimate a choice as a medical intervention.” 

Alongside the research, the conference provided an opportunity to network with charity leaders, psychologists, and researchers from all over the world. Sue is pictured below with Claire Cunniffe and Mikaela Conlin-Hulme from the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA), CAR Research Fellow (and former AUK staff member) Kerry Montgomery, and Kate Naish from the Katie Piper Foundation.