Mission:
CAR strives to make a real difference to the lives of the many hundreds of thousands of people with appearance-related concerns both in the United Kingdom and across the world.
CAR acts as a focus and centre of excellence for psychological and interdisciplinary research in appearance, disfigurement and related studies.
Aims & Objectives:
The Centre for Appearance Research aims to extend knowledge and understanding about the psychological, cultural, epidemiological and socio-economic aspects of appearance and disfigurement, and to relate the knowledge and understanding to policy and practice.
To develop a centre of excellence for psychological and interdisciplinary research in appearance, disfigurement and related studies.
To continue to conduct research in appearance and disfigurement-related issues which is relevant to policy and practice in health services, education, media and other areas of society.
This will be achieved by undertaking and disseminating patient-centred and policy-relevant research in the following areas:
- Assessment of the needs of people with appearance concerns;
- Identification of social, psychological and cultural factors affecting the lives of people with appearance concerns;
- Evaluation of the current capacity of health care providers to meet these needs and recommendations for more effectively addressing patient needs;
- Training of health professionals to meet the psychological and social needs of people with appearance concerns;
- Collaboration in the development of support materials with health professionals and lay led organisations and interventions;
- Design and evaluation of interventions to tackle appearance-related concerns;
- Provision of advice and consultancy to researchers, clinical professionals and policy-makers.