Location, Location, Location was the opening for this info-graphic (below) presented by Everyday Health. But I would like to change the narrative and story to Culture, Culture, Culture! My immediate thought was the top 10 won’t be sunny cities! But that wasn’t the case at all when you drill into the findings. So rather than have you click through another video-gram I thought I would give you the real “skinny” on why these cities were selected as the best 10 cities for ideal skin health. Here is the WWB wise takeaway… maybe it is not so much the location of your city but the ” wellness culture” of your city that really matters to your well-being.
Truly Herself, Lauroly
- Portand,Oregon— Why yes they don’t get a plethora of sunshine but here is the real reason they are top rated.
- Portlanders know exactly what to do in terms of health and skin. In general, they eat healthy, they exercise, and they are savvy about protecting their skin from the sun. The data supports this: Portlanders are less likely to be smokers or have suffered a sunburn in the past year than most of the US population.
- San Francisco,California— Sure it’s frequently foggy but more importantly…
- The city has the lowest number of tanning beds per capita in the US. The runner-up best city for your skin also has a near-perfect record of skin-healthy attributes: low skin-cancer death rate, high density of dermatologists per capita, an active population, and zero ozone days.
- Seattle,Washington– The climate is also an obvious big factor BUT not so fast…
- There’s a high number of institutions that teach integrative medicine, good nutrition, and holistic health, and their influence may make people more health-conscious,
- Baltimore, Maryland– Sorry it is not the nutrients in the crab cakes!
- This East Coast city has one of the lowest incidences of melanoma in the country. Baltimore also has access to nearby health-care resources, such as Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, which may attribute to the low skin-cancer death rate. Both centers care for patients and conduct cutting-edge clinical trials on advanced-stage skin-cancer patients, which would likely lower this rate.
- Chicago, Illinois– Short Summer days for sure! But …there is also something called “defense”!
- The city has five great universities that train a lot of good dermatologists.
- Honolulu, Hawaii– I say their beauty secrets are in the water but actually…
- People who live in Hawaii are physically active, with 33.9 percent of adults engaging in vigorous physical activity for more than 20 minutes three times a week; for a state known for its natural beauty, that’s hardly a surprise.
- Boston, Massachusetts– What’s their secret with all the harsh weather they have?
- Boston ranked seventh on the list because it contains the highest number of dermatologists per capita. The city is a hotbed of clinical research in dermatology. But people here are pretty active and live a healthy lifestyle. Generally, healthy people have healthy skin because the skin is a reflection of your overall well-being.
- New York, New York– Could it be all the plastic surgeons in a one block radius? I kid!
- The Big Apple is noted for having one of the lowest incidences of skin cancer in the country, and thanks to smoking bans, the most recent of which prohibited smoking in public parks and beaches, New Yorkers have skin that’s that much more protected. The city also boasts a high density of dermatologists.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin– Well I am stumped here! Can’t be the cheese?
- The decline of heavy industry and manufacturing has helped lessen the pollution that used to harm the city’s air quality. “Milwaukee’s particle-pollution levels are lower than in many other parts of the country. Another plus? The city is on the shores of Lake Michigan and surrounded by nature, which makes it easy for one of the most physically active populations in the country to engage in outdoor recreation.
- Austin, Texas– Another surprise!
- Although this city receives more than 300 days of sunshine a year, Austinites are a health-conscious bunch who know how to take care of their skin. According to the Census Bureau, the city has the most physically active population in the US, with 36.5 percent of adults engaging in vigorous physical activity for more than 20 minutes three times a week. People here are outdoorsy, athletic, and into being healthy!