Putting looks above life?

It is perhaps not surprising in this image-conscious society to discover that a major obstacle to diagnosing cervical cancer is vanity.

You can understand a fear of hospitals or even ignorance of the condition as a barrier to testing, but new research has revealed body image issues as one of the main reasons women do not attend cervical screening tests.

New data from the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust shows 35 per cent of young women are too embarrassed about their body to turn up.

We live in the age of the selfie, where young people take great delight in posting images of themselves in various poses for the world to see. Of course, those images are carefully selected and digitally manipulated to look great. The reality is often very different ... but it shouldn’t be life-threatenening.

Yet the statistics reveal that more than 30 per cent of young women will not attend a smear test if they had not waxed or shaved their bikini area!

Their vanity is literally putting their life at risk.

Today is the launch of Cervical Cancer Awareness Week and it has arguably never been so important.

The take up of cervical cancer screening tests is at a 20 year low.

Fortunately, in Sunderland, thanks to the work of the Amber’s Law campaign group formed after the death to cervical cancer of Amber Rose Cliff aged just 25, the take up of testing in our communityis anecdotally much better. But we can’t be complacent.

Smear tests prevent 75 per cent of cervical cancers, but they are useless unless they are taken up.

Looking good is all very well, but it should never becomes a matter of life or death. Health trumps vanity every time.