Skincare for Your Décolleté

When you think of your skincare routine, do you think of your décolleté too? Most women I know have a skincare routine that they've stuck to for years and it works, but almost none of them include their décolleté in their routine.

The word décolleté is French and it literally translates to "wearing a low-neck dress." However, in the beauty industry, we refer to it as the neck and upper chest area. The skin on your neck and chest is naturally different from the skin on your face, but it's just as important to take care of. Your décolleté is actually one of the first places to show signs of aging.

Why?

The skin on your décolleté is very thin and contains fewer fatty tissues, collagen, and oil glands than your face. This makes your décolleté more prone to sagging, wrinkling, and drying out. When thinking about your décolleté, think about how thin your eyelids are - they're pretty similar.

When going about your skincare routine, make sure you're including your décolleté. While you can use products specific for your décolleté, it's perfectly fine to use the same products that you use on your face.

If you're looking for ways to take care of your décolleté, follow some of these tips!

Definitely wash your décolleté.

Just like your face, your neck is also one of the most exposed areas on your body, which means it encounters environmental elements, dirt, debris, and bacteria. Without proper care, your neck and jawline can have a buildup of this dirt and debris, causing inflammation or even acne.

Make sure when you wash your face with your cleanser, you wash your neck too.

Use a serum.

Serums can help boost collagen production, helping to keep your skin firm and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Some of the best serums to use for your décolleté include ingredients like Vitamin C, retinol, or hyaluronic acid.

Moisturize.

Yes, moisturize your décolleté just like you do your face. I'd go so far as to say that moisturizing your décolleté is more important than moisturizing your face. But you should definitely do both. Using a moisturizer on your décolleté will help seal hydration into the skin and keep your skin from becoming too dry.

Do some overnight care.

Using a moisturizing cream specifically at night is a great way to protect your décolleté while you sleep. Sleeping can actually cause fine lines or wrinkles, and though they usually go away, repeated pressure can cause the collagen in your skin to break down over time, resulting in more permanent fine lines or wrinkles.

Using a heavy moisturizer or cream that is high in vitamins and antioxidants is your best option when you do your nighttime skincare routine. When you sleep, your skin goes into repair mode, so using a moisturizer can further help improve your skin barrier and keep your skin hydrated.

Wear sunscreen.

Environmental factors play a critical role in your skin’s aging process. This is an area that is often exposed to the elements, specifically the sun and its UV rays. Sunscreen can help protect your skin from these harmful UV rays, but you're not just trying to protect the skin on your face, you want to protect all of your skin.

Using a good sunscreen could very well make or break your décolleté. Make sure you use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.

Don't skip exfoliating.

Just because your neck skin is thinner than other skin on your body doesn't mean you should shy away from exfoliating. Exfoliating is just as important on your décolleté as it is on your face to help remove the buildup of dead skin cells. Don't exfoliate more than once a week, and be sure to use a gentle exfoliator as it is a more sensitive area.

Try neck exercises.

Exercise in general can keep your skin looking healthy, so neck and chin exercises can help if you're concerned about sagging, fine lines, or wrinkles on your décolleté. Neck and chin exercises can help stimulate collagen production, improve blood circulation, and tighten and tone neck muscles to help combat signs of premature aging.

Try microneedling.

Some people tend to lean more towards “next-level rejuvenation” by jumping into the microneedling world. Microneedling is a minimally invasive therapy that works by puncturing the skin and creating a controlled injury that will produce more elastin and collagen as the skin heals.

Microneedling is a safe and effective way to treat certain skincare concerns on the face or décolleté. Microneedling can, however, cause short-term side effects like swelling, redness, and flaking, but these side effects usually go away after a few days or weeks without any treatment.

Microneedling is not for everyone. You should avoid microneedling if you experience keloid scarring, have sensitive skin, eczema, psoriasis, if you are pregnant, or if you receive radiation.

Use décolleté or chest masks.

There are moisturizing masks out there that are meant to fit over your décolleté. These masks work similarly to facial masks but are shaped to better fit your neck and chest area. Décolleté or chest masks help to provide enhanced hydration to this area to help reduce signs of premature aging, like fine lines and wrinkles.

The bottom line is if you're not already including your décolleté in your daily skincare routine, you should start now. And if you're worried about it taking up too much of your time, it really won't. You're doing the same skincare routine but just covering a little more skin. And trust me, you'll be glad you started taking care of your décolleté.

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