Over a quarter of women executives would consider cosmetic surgery in order to improve their career prospects, according to a survey by The Aziz Corporation, the UK's leading independent executive communications consultancy.

The research reveals that more than a quarter of female executives would be prepared to go under the knife if they thought it would get them ahead in business. Such is women's preoccupation with their physical appearance that 26 per cent would consider a face lift, 27 per cent plastic surgery and 28 per cent Botox treatments if they thought it would boost their career prospects.

Less invasive procedures met with almost universal sanction with 94 per cent of women saying that they would consider dying grey hair, closely followed by dieting (92 per cent) and dental work (91 per cent).

Although the results reveal that male bosses are less vain or feel under less pressure to conform to an ideal image than their female counterparts, almost one in five male directors (19 per cent) would consider plastic surgery. While only 15 per cent of men would contemplate a face lift and 11 per cent Botox treatments, 38 per cent are prepared to dye grey hair and 86 per cent to diet in order to improve their business prospects.

Professor Khalid Aziz, Chairman of The Aziz Corporation, comments:

"It is interesting that such a high proportion of both sexes would consider changing their physical appearance either through dieting or even surgery. While celebrities such as Leslie Ash may have had some bad experiences with treatments, it doesn't appear to have discouraged today's business executives from considering this kind of therapy in order to advance their careers.

"Some of the remedies may be extreme, but there is clearly a growing recognition of how important appearance is to success in business today."

The research also reveals that smelling of tobacco smoke is the greatest faux pas a man can now make in business. 85 per cent of executives feel that it is unacceptable for men even to smell of smoke during working hours, making it less acceptable than even body piercing and ponytails, which are disapproved of by 71 per cent and 57 per cent respectively. In a further sign of how times have changed, one in three bosses now view stubble as acceptable in business.

Professor Aziz adds:

"These findings illustrate the degree to which attitudes have changed in terms of what is now considered suitable for men in a business situation. While public opinion has turned so strongly against smoking in recent years that the majority of bosses feel that it is unacceptable even to smell of smoke in the workplace, stubble is increasingly seen as acceptable or even de rigueur in certain industries."

The modern phenomenon of the exposed midriff tops the list of pet hates when it comes to women's business attire. 88 per cent feel that it is unacceptable to display a bare midriff in the workplace, making it less acceptable than visible tattoos (77 per cent), body piercings (69 per cent) and low cut tops (64 per cent).

However, the results demonstrate a clear difference in attitude between the genders with women as a whole, taking a far more formal attitude towards female dress in the workplace. Almost half of female directors (49 per cent) view short skirts as unacceptable, compared with only 15 per cent of men. Similarly, 77 per cent of female bosses feel that the office is not the place for an exposed midriff compared with only 47 per cent of men.

Khalid Aziz explains:

"Despite today's preoccupation with political correctness there are clearly still a number of males who are not averse to seeing a bit of leg in the workplace. By contrast women take a much more conservative view of business image. It could be argued that as younger women are more likely to be the ones wearing short skirts or sporting bare midriffs many female bosses don't want to see their younger counterparts stealing the show - a case of those who haven't got it, not wanting others to flaunt it. However, it is much more likely that they consider being dressed like Jordan is not ideal in a work environment, and are keen to convey a more professional attitude."