Beauty

Beauty: Where you live determines how wrinkled you are

By Mary Hall | June 22, 2014

The top-20 most wrinkle-prone regions in a study by RoC Skincare and Sperling’s BestPlaces.

We all know lifestyle, diet, environment, proper skin care, sun and the amount of water you drink can affect how your skin ages. But now there a new factor to consider. How the area you live in, or your specific US city, can play a party. A study called the RoC® Skincare Wrinkle Ranking Study breaks down wrinkles by US zip codes. The study unveils new data that demonstrates the correlation between geographic location and the formation of wrinkles. The RoC Skincare Wrinkle Ranking Study outlines the 50 most wrinkle-prone regions in the United States and the underlying factors that may cause skin to age.

Riverside California is ranked as one of the top US wrinkle zones

To identify which U.S. residents are most susceptible to wrinkles, RoC Skincare conducted a meta-analysis of original and existing research to assess the impact of lifestyle, occupational and environmental elements on skin by region. In addition to factors commonly known to cause skin damage such as climate and pollution, the study also weighed unique criteria, including stress levels, unemployment, sleep, traffic commutes and diet.

“People are widely aware of the dangers of UV exposure, so a natural assumption is that the Sunbelt states would automatically be at the top of this list,” said New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Erin Gilbert, MD, PhD, FAAD. “However, we sometimes forget that there are a number of regionally-based factors – not getting enough rest or working late hours – that can also take a toll on your skin.”

While investigating which factors had the most impact on a region’s ranking, the study results showed that no two areas’ risk for aging skin are identical, despite proximity or similarities among cities:

Riverside and San Diego are only two hours apart, but on opposite ends of the Wrinkle Ranking scale. Why? Riverside was placed first for having an above average number of sunny days while the mild Pacific climate landed “America’s Finest City” in last place.
New York can proudly call itself the “Big Apple” for being the most populated region in the country. However, residents have the longest commute and third-highest number of sleepless nights, elevating Gotham City to the second most wrinkle-prone in America
Denver earned the sixth position for scoring highest in the environment category. Mile-High City’s residents have one of the highest skin cancer rates due to the thin air quality, which is less able to absorb skin-damaging UV rays

According to the study, New York is in the high wrinkle zone.

Top 50 Most Wrinkle-Prone Regions in the United States:

Riverside, California
New York, New York
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Denver, Colorado
Chicago, Illinois
Newark, New Jersey
St. Louis, Missouri
Orlando, Florida
Washington, District of Columbia
Nashville, Tennessee
Tampa, Florida
Miami, Florida
Houston, Texas
Los Angeles, California
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dallas, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
Warren, Michigan
Edison, New Jersey
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fort Worth, Texas
Boston, Massachusetts
Oakland, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nassau County, New York
Detroit, Michigan
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cincinnati, Ohio
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Providence, Rhode Island
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jacksonville, Florida
Austin, Texas
Sacramento, California
Seattle, Washington
Kansas City, Missouri
Columbus, Ohio
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
San Antonio, Texas
Virginia Beach, Virginia
San Francisco, California
Cleveland, Ohio
Portland, Oregon
West Palm Beach, Florida
San Jose, California
Santa Ana, California
Minneapolis, Minnesota
San Diego, California

To view the full RoC Skincare Wrinkle Ranking Study results click here to see why some regions ranked higher than others. If you’re brave and want to take the RoC quiz and share your score use the #RoCWrinkleRanking hashtag on Twitter.