Wrinkle Ranking puts Chicago area 7th for susceptible skin
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Most people are aware of the impact the sun has on your skin, but did you know that where you call home could be adding to the fine lines and wrinkles on your face?
The "Wrinkle Ranking" study sponsored by RoC Skincare and Sperling's Best Places pinpoints the U.S. cities where the residents' skin is most at risk from damage by their lifestyle, environment, commute time and stress levels.
Top 20 Rankings:
#1 - Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
#2 - New York, NY
#3 - Philadelphia, PA
#4 - Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA
#5 - Baltimore-Towson, MD
#6 - Denver-Aurora, CO
#7 - Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL
#8 - Newark, NJ-PA
#9 - St. Louis, MO-IL
#10 - Orlando-Kissimmee, FL
#11 - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
#12 - Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
#13 - Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
#14 - Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL
#15 - Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
#16 - Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA
#17 - Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC
#18 - Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX
#19 - Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
#20 - Warren, MI
As you might expect, the large metro areas of the country are found high on the list, but the study had some astonishing and unexpected results.
Despite Chicago's windy reputation and Midwest geography, its urban environment is not as harsh on the skin as one might expect. Occupational factors are the primary reason why Chi-Town earned the #7 spot, including longer work schedules and high alcohol consumption, almost 19% higher than average, the study says.
The Chicago metro area earns its #7 spot with the sixth-highest score in the Occupation category, with residents facing a long commute (31.1 minutes each way, average is 27.4) and working more hours per week than average. Chicago also ranks high for stress (with an unemployment rate of 9.7%, average is 7.5%, plus alcohol use is high with 15.1 drinks per month reported, compared to an average of 12.7 drinks) and sleepless nights (8.0 nights per month with poor sleep, average is 7.7). Despite Chicago's windy reputation and its Midwest geography, the Environment is not as harsh on the skin as one might expect. Winter temperatures can be icy (18.4 degrees average low temperature in January, average is 30.3) and particulate pollution is high (in the top 20% of our study), but exposure to ultraviolet radiation is comparatively low due to cloud cover, a northern latitude and low elevation
Riverside, Calif., ranks #1 due to constant sun and high unemployment rates. Shockingly, although only two hours away, San Diego ranked #50 thanks to below-average unemployment rates and a mild coastal climate, the study says.
Denver ranked #6 due to the same factors that draw its outdoor-loving residents to the city. The Mile-High City has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the country as a result of thinner air, which is less likely to absorb UV rays. The drastic seasons - ranging from blistery cold winters to blaring hot summers - add to the skin-damaging atmosphere, the study says.
Additional rankings, 21-50
21 Edison, NJ
22 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN
23 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
24 Boston-Quincy, MA
25 Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA
26 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
27 Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY
28 Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI
29 Pittsburgh, PA
30 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN
31 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL
32 Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA
33 Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA
34 Jacksonville, FL
35 Austin-Round Rock, TX
36 Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA
37 Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA
38 Kansas City, MO-KS
39 Columbus, OH
40 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
41 San Antonio, TX
42 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
43 San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA
44 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH
45 Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA
46 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, FL
47 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
48 Santa Ana, CA
49 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
50 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
Wrinkle Rankings Methodology
For our selection of the "Wrinkle Ranking" study, we used the following criteria which are directly and indirectly related to skin damage. We have grouped the factors by impact and relevancy to the focus of our study.
Environmental
Elevation (altitude)
Latitude (degrees from the equator)
Sunny days
Low winter temperature
High summer temperature
Dew point (measure of humidity)
Wind
Ozone pollution
Particulate pollution
Skin cancer
Occupation
Commute time
Hours worked
Lifestyle
Smoking
Stress Index
Fitness
Healthy diet
Sleepless nights
Our Stress Index is based on factors which have been found to be related
Divorce rate
Unemployment rate
Crime - violent
Crime - property
Suicides
Alcohol use
Poor mental health
Depression diagnosed
Limited activity due to health and mental issues
Average length of workday
Average number of sleeping hours
Data Sources
ERSI Arc-GIS v10.1 mapping software
Elevation, Latitude
NOAA Climate Normals, 1980-2010
Sunny days, Temperatures, Dew point, Wind
EPA Air Quality Index, 2012
Ozone, Particulate pollution
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2012
Commute time
Bureau of Labor Statistics, State and Area Employment Hours and Earnings, 2012
Hours worked per week
CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011
Smoking, Fitness, Healthy diet, Sleepless nights
CDC Compressed Mortality File, 1999-2010
Skin cancer
Weighting
For the purposes of our calculations, the three categories (Environmental, Lifestyle, and Occupation) were weighted equally.
Scoring
All data is adjusted by the current population to arrive at 'per capita' figures, providing an accurate comparison between cities of varying sizes.
Metro Areas
For this type of study, we usually compare "metropolitan areas" to each other, instead of cities. Metropolitan areas are defined by the United States Census Bureau, and include a central city and the surrounding county (or counties.)
More info at http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7234451-roc-skincare-wrinkle-ranking-study-wrinkles-zip-codes-interconnected/
