The average person is more obsessed with their mortgage than their appearance, according to research from first direct, which found an overwhelming three quarters (74 per cent) of mortgage holders would prefer to take up to 10 years off their mortgage than off their appearance.

Despite the popularity of TV shows like 10 Years Younger, Nip Tuck, Extreme Makeover and Celebrity Surgery it seems the bottom people want to improve most is their household’s bottom line and the most unwanted wrinkles are in the financial paperwork:

• People of every age group (18-over 65) would rather airbrush away their mortgage than signs of ageing
• Men are only marginally keener than women to take years off their mortgage than their appearance, at 76 per cent and 72 per cent respectively
• The Welsh are the most interested in clearing their mortgage early (90 per cent)
• Those in the East Midlands are most tempted by a youthful appearance (37 per cent).

Despite the clear majority eager to take years off their mortgage, homeowners are divided on how to achieve this:

• One in three (32 per cent) have no idea how to cut their mortgage term
• A quarter (26 per cent) would save up and pay off a lump sum
• Just over a fifth (22 per cent) would remortgage to a better deal
• Only eight per cent would economise to enable them to afford higher monthly repayments
• Less than one in 10 (eight per cent) realise that offsetting could take years off their home loan.

Richard Kimber, first direct's chief executive said: "It’s remarkable that so many more people would rather be mortgage free than wrinkle free. But it’s unlikely to happen if they don’t know what action to take to clear their home loan as quickly as possible."

"The good news is that major surgery on the finances isn’t needed to bring mortgage free living closer - just a nip and tuck, plumping up the value of savings with an offset mortgage, will go a long way to smoothing away home loan worries."

"Because a homeowner’s savings and current account balances are worth the same rate of interest as their home loan, and are used to reduce the interest paid on it, offsetting can take years off a mortgage."

For example, the average home loan in 2004 was £82,000 and the average savings and current account balances were £5,000 and £1,000. Simply holding these balances in accounts linked to an offset mortgage will reduce the term of a 25-year mortgage by nearly three years, saving interest of £16,676.