Should Skincare Go Down To Your Chest In Addition To Your Neck? Here's What We Know
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When we talk about skincare, most people think of their faces only. You might have been advised to include your neck in your daily face washing and moisturizing routine, since wrinkles can show up anywhere. So naturally, extending your skincare a step further, down to your chest, makes sense.
Just as the signs of aging can appear on your neck, they can also appear on your décolletage and chest. Additionally, you can experience other skin problems on this area of your body, from acne to sun spots. So making the effort to apply your skincare all the way from your forehead to your breasts will definitely pay off in the long run.
It can seem like a chore in the winter, but if you make a habit of wearing a singlet or dressing gown in the morning and at night when you do your skincare routine, applying those products to your chest will be an easy habit to form — and so worth it.
Why your skincare should extend further
Extending your skincare simply comes down to common sense. Your décolletage and chest area is likely just as exposed to the sun as your face is for long periods of time, which speeds up the signs of aging. According to Sunsafe RX, sun exposure is more responsible for reduced skin elasticity, pigmentation, and wrinkles than any other environmental or genetic factor. Therefore, any area that is routinely exposed needs a little TLC to delay those signs.
On the flip side, this area may often be on show in the summer, or when you're wearing particular outfits, so you'll naturally want the skin to look as good as possible. Wrinkles on the breasts, in particular, can also form as a result of your sleeping position, and using your skincare products can help to prevent and deal with those, too.
"Take the products you use on your face down to your chest, cleavage and underside of the breasts to address texture changes and loss of elasticity," celebrity aesthetician Joanna Vargas told Net-a-Porter.
Which products to use
As a rule of thumb, you can use anything you're using on your face on your chest area. However, there are particular neck and décolletage creams that are specifically designed to be used on this part of the body.
As Adore Beauty explains, there are neck and décolletage creams that target different skin issues, from acne to skin sagging. There are also those that contain powerful anti-aging ingredients, such as retinol, along with those that are made for mature skin. You'll notice that creams that have been designed for this area are often thicker in consistency than facial creams, and may take some getting used to. Neck and décolletage creams can be taken all the way down to the breasts, too.
You can also usually get away with applying body moisturizers onto the chest which may be too heavy for the skin on your face. Some of these contain the ingredients that you'd normally look for in your skincare, such as the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry/Sensitive Skin which contains niacinamide. You might want to opt for them instead and save your more expensive facial creams and serums for your face.
In addition to cleansing and moisturizing your chest area, plus layering with serums that target any concerns you have, ensure that you're applying SPF to your neck every morning. While moisturizers and creams can inject hydration into the area, your best line of defense against the signs of aging is protecting yourself from the sun's UV rays.