I couldn’t help but giggle when my skincare expert friend told me “a good skincare routine should extend to your nips!” Skincare lovers the world over are usually diligent with their facial routines: cleanse, tone, moisturise, SPF. But quite often, the perfectionism towards caring for our face skin doesn’t extend to our neck and decolletage (a fancy pants way of saying chest). And when you neglect these areas, your opening yourself up to some serious premature aging.
Necks actually age faster than the rest of the face, thanks to their thin delicate skin, so we have to make sure we’re giving them the same nutrients we give to our faces. Here are some tips to keep your neck and dec in tip-top shape.
1. Good skincare extends to your neck and chest
Everything you do with your face, you should be extending down to your neck and decolletage. Cleanse your face? Use that gentle face wash on your chest. Popping on some fancy serums? Pop them on from neck to nips too. Moisturiser? SPF? Face, neck decolletage, always.
2. SPF is crucial
One of the best weapons of anti aging is sunscreen and you’d be surprised with how many people diligently apply to their faces but forget about their neck and chest. The skin here is just as thin and prone to damage as your face. Not to mention that your chest bears a lot of the brunt of the UV rays when wearing… well anything other than a turtle neck sweater. Good sunscreen application can stop sun spots and pigmentation from appearing on these areas. It also prevents your skin from getting that leathery look from too much sun exposure. Basically, sunscreen is the fountain of youth for delicate skin areas.
3. Treat skin dryness ASAP
Did you know your neck doesn’t produce nearly as much natural oil that your face does to keep itself relatively hydrated. Sebaceous glands present all over the face are few and far between on your check and chest, which makes the areas much more susceptible to dryness, irritation and even scarring. Make sure your hydrating this area with a nourishing facial moisturiser to help protect from dryness… oh and did I mention SPF?
4. Give good posture
One of the biggest causes of neck wrinkles is poor posture caused by too much screen time. Those horizontal lines on your neck? They’re creases from looking down, whether it be at your phone, or an improperly positioned laptop. Our tendency to look down so often these days is creating creases on our necks that we didn’t used to have. So next time you catch yourself looking down at your phone, or realising your eyes aren’t level with your computer screen, look up! Adjust that posture and avoid the dreaded tech neck.
5. Know your ingredients
While nourishing serums and hydrating creams do well on the neck and chest areas, often some of the more intense ingredients are too strong. Specifically, exfoliating AHA and BHA acids can sometimes contribute to the breakdown of the skin’s moisture barrier, leading to dryness and irritation. Look for serums with hyaluronic acid to attract moisture to the area and top it off with a nice occlusive moisturiser on top to look in the goodies. Invest in serums and creams that stimulate collagen production and improve skin elasticity.
6. Let there be (LED) light
LED light therapy is excellent for rejuvenating the skin and increasing collagen production. If you’re particularly concerned about turning back the clock around your neck and dec, it’s well worth investing in a device to deliver dual wave red and near infra-red light to the area. CurrentBody Skin has an incredible little device I am obsessed with called their LED Neck and Dec Perfector that has worked wonders on the delicate skin in those areas for me.
A companion to their LED Light Therapy Mask, this flexible silicone device sits on the neck and chest area and delivers LED therapy to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s incredibly easy to use and portable, just strap it on, turn it on and go about your business. Just 10 mins, three to five times a week is enough to provide rejuvenation to the area. It’s a perfect set and forget device that gives maximum results.
7. Easy does it
As I’ve said, the skin on your neck and decolletage is delicate, so you wanna give this area the same care as the fine skin around your eyes. Don’t overload it with too many products, or be overly rough around these areas. I am not saying tip toe around it; you can still make sure the products get absorbed properly and give the area a nice massage once in a while, but no aggressive scrubbing or harsh ingredients.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram@thebeautypalate.
