According to RoC Skincare's 2016 'Wrinkle Ranking', classifying US cities in terms of the impact they will have on the future skin health of their residents, those living in the Pennsylvanian city are the most likely to get the dreaded fine lines.
Compiled with independent research firm Sperling's Best Places, the ranking is a city-by-city look at the areas most and least at risk for skin damage and premature aging by the year 2040. It was put together using factors commonly known to affect skin health, such as lifestyle, occupational and environmental influences.
RoC predicts that Philadelphia's high stress levels, increasing levels of airborne pollution, lengthy commute times and higher-than-average smoking rates will make it the wrinkliest town Stateside by the year 2040.
Meanwhile citizens of San Jose, California, which enjoys shorter commute times, a smaller population size and anticipated shift toward a wetter climate, will have a smoother ride – the city is predicted to claim the title of 'least wrinkly city' in the future.
Overall, large metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York City will continue to produce more wrinkles, due to congested commuting and lower air quality, the study found. Cities with higher numbers of smokers than the rest of the country, such as Nashville, St. Louis and Kansas City, will be more at risk of the dreaded lines. And areas with hotter climates and less precipitation will increase the risk of wrinkles – so residents of the Northeast and Texas should keep an eye out.
If you happen to live in one of the wrinkliest cities then there's no need to panic – architect and urban futurist Dr Cindy Frewen says there's lots you can do to minimise skin issues. "There are variables studied in the Wrinkle Ranking that are within your control – from smoking and commuting to protecting your skin with sunscreen, serums and moisturizers," he explains.
The research carried out comprised a meta-analysis, which combined the findings of original research with existing related research in the field of the study. All data was adjusted by the current population to arrive at "per capita" figures, providing an accurate comparison between cities of varying sizes. Each metropolitan area in the study received points for each of the criteria, and category scores were weighted and aggregated to determine an overall "Wrinkle Index" score to rank the top US metro areas.
10 most wrinkle prone cities by 2040:
1. Philadelphia, PA
2. Denver-Aurora, CO
3. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA
4. Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
6. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
8. New York, NY
9. Warren, MI
10. Edison, NJ
10 least wrinkle prone cities by 2040:
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, FL
3. Jacksonville, FL
4. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
5. San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA
6. Santa Ana, CA
7. San Antonio, TX
8. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL
9. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
10. Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI
