Focus on the Décolleté

When it comes to preparing a skin care routine, your face comes first. Not only is it the most exposed and viewed area of your skin, it also develops wrinkles more quickly than other areas of your body thanks to the amount of fine muscle movement wearing down its elasticity, so obviously it needs the most attention.

But tragically, for many, the face is the beginning and end of skin care planning. Seeing as your skin is your largest organ and your first line of defense against the perils of the world around you, there are plenty of other locations on your body that need just as much attention to detail as your face. One area, in particular, is your décolleté.

Defining Décolleté

We English speakers have adopted several great French words into our lexicon – fiancé, espionage, and every curse word, apparently – and décolleté is no exception. Décolleté, meaning “lower neck” in French, is used to describe the skin stretching from your cleavage to up your neck (AKA everywhere exposed when you’re wearing a low-cut top).

It isn’t uncommon to see someone with an amazing facial complexion but when your eyes drift downward you are shocked to find the stark difference in aging between their face and décolleté. You can chalk that difference up to the focus of their skin care routine, but beyond that, it still often seems like this area ages more rapidly than any other part of the body.

The reason for this difference lies in the make-up of the skin covering the décolleté. Décolleté skin is much thinner and has fewer oil glands than most other parts on your body, making it more sensitive to irritation and sun damage. The thin skin on your décolleté is even more sensitive than your facial skin, so it requires at least as much attention in your daily routine.

It also doesn’t help that most clothing leaves the area of your décolleté exposed to the elements, so it gets much more damage from harmful UV radiation than most areas of your body.

The most common traits of an overlooked décolleté are:

• Brown spots
• Dry, cracked skin
• Fine lines and wrinkles from the crease of the cleavage to the upper chest
• Redness from irritation.

Treating your Décolleté

The first step in saving the delicate skin on your chest is a mainstay in skin care for any exposed part of your body: always, always, always use an SPF. The best offense is a good defense so fight the wrinkles and brown spots before they even happen by using an SPF on your décolleté that is at least as strong as the one you use on your face.

For anyone who is already bearing the effects of a sun-damaged décolleté, there are luckily plenty of options to revive that skin to its natural glow.

Unsightly sun spots and discoloration can be greatly reduced over time with the help of topical vitamin C. With the addition of anti-aging creams – which can be the same products you use on your face – both the discoloration, as well as the beginnings of fine lines, will be a thing of the past in no time at all.

The ingredients to look for when you are focusing on rejuvenating your décolleté are vitamins A, C, E and any other antioxidants, potent moisturizers like coconut oil, and light exfoliants such as lactic acid. These ingredients will do wonders for smoothing and brightening your décolleté, especially when used in combination with each other.

It is important to keep in mind that, since your décolleté is extremely sensitive and thin, you should only use skin care products with extremely light ingredients to avoid irritation, especially when exfoliants are involved. Peels, for example, are much too harsh for this area.

A good rule of thumb when treating your décolleté is to use the majority of daily products you use to keep your skin healthy and beautiful since they both get roughly the same exposure to the elements. Always remember: skin care doesn’t stop at your chin!

A perfect product to consider when working on your décolleté is the Body Brightening Cleanser from Lira Clinical. It features many of the ingredients that reinvigorate your most sensitive skin, plus some extra luxurious ingredients that will leave you feeling like every day is spa day!

For all of your full-body skin care needs, check out Lira Spa, which focuses on the overall health of every inch of your skin!