Decolletage / Lightening Serums
Décolleté, a beautiful French word meaning “wearing a low-neck dress,” is also the word we use to refer to our upper chest area, including the neck, cleavage and shoulder areas. The skin on the décolletage is one of the first places women show their age; this is because the area doesn’t have as many reparative oil glands and has less elastic and thinner skin tissue than our faces. Women often overlook the décolletage when it comes to skin care, not realizing they should be treating it with just as much care as their face. We’ve all come across a women with perfectly smooth, tight facial skin, and then noticed their saggy, wrinkled, hyper-pigmented chest and neck – this is what can happen when you ignore your décolletage! The good news is that it’s not too late to change the destiny of your décolletage by changing your skincare regime from the chest up.
Here are the steps to caring for your décolletage:
First, cleanse your chest with the same cleanser as you use on your face and follow with a moisturizer. Keeping this area moisturized is the easiest way to prevent aging and dryness. Apply the same treatment on your chest as you do on your face, including any anti-wrinkle creams you may use and always, always follow with sunscreen. You still need to use sunscreen even when you will be indoors all day, as forty percent of sun damage occurs while you are indoors through windows, which let in harmful UV rays. While you can treat the face with peels, they are far too harsh for the delicate décolletage, so you must use other means to exfoliate the area. To naturally remove dead protein cells from the skin, look for products containing natural exfoliants like papaya enzyme or bromelain. Vitamin C is effective in removing sunspots; try rubbing fresh lemon or lime juice onto the area 3-4 times a week, it acts as a natural alpha hydroxy acid and is very effective.
Not only is premature wrinkling on the décolletage caused by the sun, it is also caused by the way you sleep. To get rid of the wrinkles along your bust line, get in the habit of sleeping on your back instead of on your side. Sleeping is one of the leading causes of wrinkles, after the sun, and when you sleep on your side you are ironing in wrinkles into your skin. On average, you are spending over 2,500 hours per year reversing the positive effects of your skincare treatments just in your sleep. If you’re unable to sleep on your back, try Vasseur Skincare’s Beauty Pillow, which is specially designed to prevent wrinkles while you sleep.
The following active ingredients work wonders in preventing and treating aging of the décolleté.
• Vitamin C and Ester C break down and remove dead protein cells without the harshness of peels. Ester C Cream can restore a smooth surface and a youthful glow to aging skin and is essential for the production of collagen. It also works near miracles when it comes to inflammation. Ester C Cream is best for treating fine lines and wrinkles on sun damaged skin, and perfect for treating the overly exposed declottage.
• DMAE is a firming agent that is an instant anti-aging facelift and can dramatically improve the appearance of sagging skin and fine lines. When taken orally, DMAE also acts as an anti-oxidant and as an added bonus, boosts the effects of other antioxidants, resulting in increased smoothness, brightness and line reduction.
• ALA, alpha lipoic acid, is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It also boosts the effectiveness of other antioxidants, making them much more powerful, ALAdoes for the skin what other treatments cannot and works to improve the overall appearance of the skin. ALA is great for preventing and treating damaged skin and is effective against scars, wrinkles and fine lines. In addition to making your skin look fabulous, alpha lipoic acid is natural and nontoxic. It is perfect for people who are prone to allergic reactions to other types of skin products.
• Idebenone is a cousin to the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10. Idebenone is the most effective antioxidant known for skincare today and the most potent of all wrinkle cure antioxidants. It protects cells from deterioration. Studies suggest that Idebenone shields skin from environmental damage, improves the appearance of fine lines, reduces dryness, and smoothes skin texture. Idebenone has recently been hailed as more potent and more effective than vitamins A, C and E at preventing sun damage. Idebenone actually repairs the skin while the sun takes its toll.
The bottom line is that it is never too late to reverse the effects of aging and sun damage on your declottage. Taking care of your skin is a daily process, so starting today, treat your declottage with the same care as your face. Look for products with the effective active ingredients listed above and use sun protection every single day of the year. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, it is one of the most vital organs as well as the most visible! Using the right products and taking preventative measures to eliminate sun exposure are the critical elements of a good skincare regime that will keep you looking and feeling fabulous for years to come.
Décolleté and neck
The best approach is to treat your décolleté and neck with the same care and attention as you lavish on your face. Forget the face, hands or the feet, one of the killer signs of ageing is the chest. One day you can wear a low-cut dress with panache, the next you are searching for long droopy necklaces for cleavage camouflage.
At the Aesthetic Skin Clinic, we offer a wide range of treatments to reverse the damage and a multilayered approach is required to restore your lack lustre cleavage to its former glory! The new décolletage treatments are not only pretty painless and fabulously successful; you can actually have them done without anyone ever knowing. No knives or needles, no hiding away and you can hide the redness easily. Is that not what polo necks were invented for?
After all the effort that goes into treating the face it is encouraging to know that now there is a viable treatment option for the neck and the décolleté. The neck and décolleté is prone to aging, visible as fine lines, wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity and uneven pigmentation caused mainly by sun exposure. The skin on the neck is very delicate, and a combination of treatment therapies, such as dermal filler injections, chemical peels, laser resurfacing, have consistently good results.
Any successful treatment option for this delicate area will need to address the aging of the skin, mainly the loss of skin collagen. The difference between old and young skin is the amount of collagen in the skin. It is estimated that at 40 we have half the amount of collagen in the skin from when we were 20. Collagen is what makes the skin elastic and hydrated. The skin cells that produce collagen are called Fibroblasts. Fibroblasts reduce the production of skin collagen as we age naturally. The skin loses elasticity, tone, thickness and moisture. UV exposure meaning tanning, smoking, bad diet and stress can damage Fibroblasts and reduce their activity even more. This is also called Free Radical Damage. Topical Anti Oxidants as found in the skincare range can neutralize free radical damage. Vitamins, fruit, vegetables, green tea… contain anti oxidants and work internally.
Despite recent advances with very thin dermal fillers, the neck and décolleté are difficult to treat with injections as the skin is too thin and the area too large to achieve good results. Pigmentation can be treated successfully with IPL but to improve skin elasticity and to increase the skin’s collagen, Dr Curran also recommends the unique new micro-needling with radio-frequency device called INTRAcel which is a pioneering new treatment exclusive to his clinics.
9 Super Tips on Caring for Your Décolletage…
We focus a lot on skin care for our faces and bodies but what about how to care for your décolletage? If you’re unfamiliar with the term, décolletage actually means a low-cut neckline but it’s often used to refer to the neck, shoulders and upper chest area. Not only is our décolletage a very beautiful and visible part of our bodies, it’s also the first area to show the signs of aging due to thinner skin, sun exposure and lack of décolletage care on our part! Since we want to enjoy youthful and beautiful skin all over, let’s take a look at some ways to care for your décolletage!
1. CLEANSE
The first step in how to care for your décolletage starts by cleansing and using very gentle care. The skin on the décolletage area lacks the elasticity and resilience that the rest of the skin on your body and face has, so it needs to be treated as such. Use a gentle facial cleanser to wash the area and pat dry.
2. MOISTURIZE
The next important tip in caring for your décolletage is to keep it moisturized! The décolletage is not only thinner than other areas but it also has less sebaceous glands. That makes it prone to dryness so we have to keep the area well moisturized and happy! You don’t have to buy a cream that’s specially made for the area unless you want to, you can get great results with a high-quality moisturizer as well.
3. PROTECT
When we’re talking about skin care and especially caring for your décolletage, we have to talk sunscreen. The delicate skin on our décolletage is often overlooked when we apply sunscreen and it really needs the extra protection! Always remember to slather on sunblock all over the upper #bodyarea, especially if you’re wearing a lower neckline during the day!
4. SLEEP
While we’re learning how to care for your décolletage, we have to remember that skin care doesn’t stop at night. To keep our décolletage area looking supple and smooth, get plenty of sleep and avoid sleeping on your #stomach to prevent chest wrinkles. WebMD reports that sleeping on our backs prevents sleep lines from being impressed onto our skin and it also helps reduce the formation of wrinkles on our faces!
5. EXERCISE
Exercise is key when it comes to décolletage care and overall skin health! The increase in blood flow from #exercise can help nourish skin cells and keep them healthy. For the décolletage area, work your chest and back areas to keep your skin firm and toned. Another good tip is to watch your posture. Having good alignment not only helps you feel more confident but also lifts the breasts, which is the easiest way to make your décolletage look even better!
6. SUPPORT
While we’re on the topic of caring for your décolletage and supporting the girls, make sure you’re wearing the right bra. Wearing an ill-fitting bra can create bad posture, discomfort and can even cause the skin to sag, which can result in unsightly marks from stretching and sagging. If you want to check your measurements at home to see if you’re wearing the right bra size, check out this page for a quick how-to:goodhousekeeping.com
7. TREAT
Another step in how to care for your décolletage is to treat it with a mask! Masks are always fun to make and use so take a short break to pamper yourself with this easy décolletage recipe! Mix 1 tbsp. of green tea (smashed) and 2 tbsp. of yogurt together, apply it to your décolletage area and relax! Rinse off with warm water after 10 minutes and follow up with moisturizer!
8. EXFOLIATE
Décolletage care involves treating it with a mask but we also need to exfoliate. Look for gentle, natural exfoliators like papaya, pineapple or pumpkin enzymes. Traditional exfoliators that contain abrasive ingredients like nuts can damage our skin but enzyme exfoliators can gently break down dead skin cells and strengthen skin with all the vitamins they contain!
9. PREVENT
The last tip on caring for your décolletage is for those who want to prevent or treat chest acne. Chest acne affects an estimated 54% of adults so we’re not alone! It can prevent us from wearing certain tops as well as make us feel awkward, so it’s gotta go! Get in the habit of wearing breathable tops like cotton, cleansing the area and spot treating any blemishes. You can also either apply a mask or exfoliate a little more often to unclog pores and get rid of dead skin!
Keep up on these tips on how to care for your décolletage to help keep this area looking youthful and smooth for years! Even if you’ve neglected this area in the past, it’s never too late to start properly caring for it and prevent future signs of aging! Do you have any skin care tips to care for your décolletage?
