Sun exposure, UV index, pollution and alcohol all have an effect on the health of our skin. Look Fantastic has analysed such metrics to find out which UK cities are the best for maintaining youthful skin.
The cities where you will age fastest in the UK
High sunlight exposure is making skin age faster in Bournemouth. Look Fantastic’s data found that Bournemouth is the UK city where you will age the fastest due to its low overall score of 63.4.
Bournemouth experiences 1,648.2 sunlight hours annually, the second highest in the UK behind Brighton. This, coupled with the country's highest UV index of 3.08, exposes residents to higher levels of UV radiation.
This accelerates skin ageing and increases the risk of wrinkles and age spots making Bournemouth a challenging environment for maintaining youthful, healthy skin.
London’s city stress is making you age faster
London is identified as a particularly bad city for your skin based on its overall score of 63.6.
The city’s quality of life score of 148.3 shows that London’s high-stress environments can harm the skin’s health.
While the capital has a high noise pollution score of 55.08, many residents may struggle to achieve quality, uninterrupted sleep.
With 16% of the population engaging in binge drinking, lifestyle choices further compound the negative effects on the skin's visible age.
The cities where you will age the slowest in the UK
Stoke-on trent revealed as the UK’s best city for ageing slowly, thanks to its favourable environmental conditions, with a score of 84.2.
The city has a low noise pollution at 21.43, meaning residents can get a good night's rest. Stoke-on-Trent has only 1112 hours of sunlight a year, with an average UV index of 2.67, meaning residents aren't at risk of premature ageing due to sun damage.
Glasgow is the best city for minimising UV exposure
Glasgow is recognised as the second-best UK city for ageing slowly, thanks to its favourable environmental conditions that benefit skin health, reflected in its overall score of 82.9.
With a high quality of life score of 194.81, residents' low stress positively impacts skin vitality.
Thanks to its notoriously poor weather, Glasgow has the lowest annual sunlight hours and average UV index in the UK, at 961.6 hours, and 2.42 respectively. This means Glaswegians are at the lowest risk of sun damage in the UK.