A recent study has revealed that, on average, women spend around thirty minutes a week looking after the skin on their face and only five minutes a week taking care of the skin on their body, and the décolletage is one of the most neglected areas of all.
The skin on your décolletage is highly delicate. That’s because the skin in this area is thinner and has fewer oil glands than the skin on other areas of your body, so it’s more likely to become dry due to a lack of natural hydration – which means wrinkles easily form. It’s one of the first areas to show signs of ageing, and a dry, damaged, or wrinkled decolletage can make you appear a lot older than you really are.
Most patients who visit me for a neck consultation will be over the age of 45, although I will always assess a patient’s physiological skin age rather than solely looking at their chronological age. We commonly treat the lower face and neck for skin laxity and my favoured procedure would be a combination of energy devices and homecare.
When it comes to reversing the signs of ageing in this area, a combination approach is usually the best way to get the job done – after all, why use just one tool when you have a whole army at your disposal?
Start with sun protection
We all know how crucial sun protection is. UVA light is apparent all year round and is linked to signs of premature ageing such as wrinkles and loss of elasticity. It also damages skin cells, triggering dark spots and pigmentation. So daily sun protection is key, and you should extend this down to your décolletage and any other exposed areas of the body.
Target pigmentation and sun damage with chemical peels
The décolletage area is particularly vulnerable to UV damage and the effects of ageing, as the skin is thinner on the décolletage, which is often exposed to damage from the sun and other elements. Using a targeted chemical peel, we target these dark spots in a controlled manner to resurface the skin via exfoliation, increasing cellular turnover to reveal healthy-looking skin. They also stimulate collagen and elastin production and increase skin thickness, making them an excellent non-invasive treatment for slowing the signs of ageing whilst smoothing hyperpigmentation and uneven texture.
Plump and smooth with Profhilo
Profhilo can produce truly beautiful results for anyone with slightly crepey skin on the décolletage. It stimulates natural collagen production and long-lasting hydration within the skin, improving dryness and crepiness and stimulating a smoother and tighter appearance. We may even combine Profhilo with a chemical peel for a multi-layered approach to skin rejuvenation.
Tighten with energy devices
Profound is a radiofrequency (RF) micro-needling device that is Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for both the face and the body. It is clinically proven to produce three fundamental components for smoother, tighter, and youthful skin – elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid. Instead of adding these elements to skin, it activates the body’s own production – up to five times more elastin, two times more collagen and an increase in hyaluronic acid. A noticeable difference is usually seen after six weeks, and at six months, the results are at their best. These optimal results last up to three years, at which point visible results will start to decrease, and another treatment may be recommended.
Invest in a targeted neck cream
I complement in-clinic treatments with a medical-grade skincare product such as Revision Skincare Nectifirm Advanced or SkinBetter Science TechnoNeck to be used at home as part of your daily regimen. Nectifirm Advanced uses a proprietary blend of peptides, proteins, and ingredients to stimulate biological processes to reduce the visible signs of ageing on the neck. It helps the skin appear brighter, firmer, and lifted and minimises the appearance of adipose tissue and rough, crepey skin – therefore working in harmony with the Profound RF treatment.TechnoNeck boosts the skin’s supply of Nitric Oxide through a proprietary complex, leading to improved microcirculation of the skin and improvements in tone, texture and hydration.
If the décolletage is a concern of yours, let’s chat about the options available. Click here to book a consultation.