One in three people with disfigurements don’t feel confident applying for jobs they are qualified to do, according to research from disfigurement charity Changing Faces.

James Partridge, chief executive of Changing Faces, says: “It is profoundly disturbing that in the UK today people whose faces look unusual cannot expect their skills and knowledge to be more important to potential employers than how they look.

“If this situation is to improve, two things need to happen. First, we need to make sure that individuals who have birthmarks, skin conditions, burns, scarring after violence or after surgical mistake that make their appearance ‘different’ get the support they need to face the world with confidence.

“Changing Faces is the only UK-wide charity offering this practical and emotional support and knows that many people don’t get any support at all.

“Second, we also need to make sure that employers understand that they cannot discriminate against people on the basis of how they look. Most employers know that it is against the law to reject someone because of their gender or race but do they know, or care, that it is against the law to reject someone because they have a disfigurement?

“Thanks to Changing Faces, the Equality Act provides legal rights for people with severe disfigurements and protects them from appearance-related discrimination but so far there have been very few cases taken to tribunal and there is no monitoring of numbers of people with disfigurements within the workplace.”