We spend so much time, energy, and money investing in anti-aging treatments for our faces that we often forget to apply that same rigor to other areas. Our hands and décolleté, however, are not only equally as susceptible to skin damage and natural aging, but they can also end up giving away our age despite how youthful our faces are! Luckily, we can take advantage of evolving skincare technology to brighten and glow-up these all-too-often neglected areas.
Where Is the Décolleté Area On the Body?
The beauty industry refers to the area located south of your chin, including your neck and chest, as your décolletage. While often overlooked, this area actually needs daily care and attention because the skin in this area is thinner and has fewer oil glands. Due to the lack of natural hydration, it can easily become dry, which creates wrinkles. Additionally, those who wear V-neck shirts or leave their shirts unbuttoned at the collar tend to neglect the area when applying sunscreen, which can lead to sun damage.
How Aging Affects the Hands & Décolleté From Aging
Skin is skin, and all areas are affected by the natural aging process. However, the hands, neck and chest are thin, delicate, damage-prone areas that can begin to show signs of aging even before your face. As we age, the proteins that keep your skin firm and youthful break down—this loss of collagen and elastin can be especially prominent in these particular areas and cause the appearance of:
- Skin sagging and loss of firmness of the neck
- Leathering skin texture and wrinkles on the chest
- Thinning skin on the hands that reveal boniness and veins
- Overall crepey, dry skin
How to Keep Your Hands & Décolleté
At Pasha Medical Day Spa, your medspa in Santa Clarita, we want you to look and feel your best from the neck down, too. That is why we’ve compiled the top 6 tips for decreasing the signs of aging in your hands and décolleté:
1. Use Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen
While most of us have implemented SPF into our daily skincare routines for our faces, we need to start applying that same dedication elsewhere. After all, UV damage can especially harm the sensitive skin of the hands and décolleté as they naturally weaken as we age. In addition, our hands, neck and chest are especially vulnerable because these areas are almost always exposed to the sun.
Luckily, protecting this skin can be as simple as extending our application of our lightweight SPF-integrated moisturizers beyond the face. While most dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen lotion with at least 30 SPF, the more, the better. Be sure you choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which protects you from both UVA and UVB rays.
2. Cleanse, Exfoliate, and Moisturize
It seems simple, but many of us do not have a daily skincare routine for the hands, neck, and chest like we do the face. With a simple application of area-specific skincare, we can treat these areas with the care they deserve. The good news is, your neck and chest can benefit from the same routines of cleansing, exfoliation, and moisturizing, not requiring you to implement additional products or steps to your daily facial skincare.
Your hands may need a little extra love—harsh chemicals from manicures, use of hand sanitizers, and over-washing can dry and age hands further. Adding a hydrating serum for the hands to your daily moisturizing routine and carrying a travel-sized SPF hand cream to apply after each hand wash or sanitizer application can help keep dryness at bay.
3. Hydrating Masks…For Your Neck and Hands
Hydrating sheet masks have been all the rage the past few years, claiming easy and inexpensive ways to stay on top of your skincare game. But, did you know you can use the same techniques on these other areas? There are several products on the market specifically aimed for these areas, so stock up alongside your favorite facial sheet masks and enjoy a full day of hydrating skin care! Double up your weekly hydrating boost by applying a treatment balm or serum that contains collagen and hyaluronic acid afterward.
4. Cover Up!
One of the most obvious reasons for aging in the hands and neck that can difficult to remedy the fact that these areas are simply almost always exposed to the elements—especially in Southern California, where our perfectly mild winters have us wearing bikinis way more often than gloves and scarves. However, it is important to be mindful of sun exposure to all areas of your skin, and do your best to limit it much as possible. Light scarves, sunhats, and fashionable gloves can have you looking like a modern Audrey Hepburn all while protecting that gorgeous skin.
Pro-tip: in addition to covering up outside, consider wearing gloves while exposing your hands to harsh cleaning products while doing dishes and other household chores as well.
5. Improve Your Posture and Sleeping Positions
As our skin succumbs to gravity’s inevitable tug and pull, even slouching and sleep positions can cause more wrinkles. Side-sleeping can be the most skin-damaging sleeping position, causing your skin to droop and sag, so try sleeping on your back instead. In this same regard, you want to be extra gentle with these delicate areas of the body. Any tugging, pulling, or stretching can cause stress and wrinkles.
6. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle with Diet and Exercise
We know you’re already doing this one, right? Taking care of your skin starts from the inside out. Drinking plenty of water and eating foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients is perhaps the most effective way to maintain healthy, youthful skin. Also be sure to avoid excess alcohol, dairy, and processed foods as much as possible all of which are known to increase signs of aging by dulling the skin and causing acne.
In addition to a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle in general—such as not smoking cigarettes and exercising regularly—is also key to full-body healthy skin. Remember: your hands and décolleté are already overly delicate and vulnerable to collagen loss; don’t accelerate the aging process of these areas willingly!
In-Office Skincare Treatments for the Hands and Décolleté in Valencia
When you want to step up your skincare game, the experts at Pasha Medical Day Spa have you covered. The following in-office treatments are all effective in reversing the signs of aging in the hands and décolleté!
Talk to our medical skincare experts at Pasha Medical Day Spa about options for brightening and tightening these delicate areas.
You will want to consider applying these 6 tips to your skincare routines especially if you notice:
- Sunspots, age spots, and other blemishes or discolorations
- Wrinkles, especially in the chest and neck
- Pronounced veins caused by loss of collagen, specifically in the hands
- You regularly get gel manicures – the application and removal process dries out finger beds and cuticles!
- Scarring
- You suffer from dull, dry skin
Enhancing your beauty routine by extending your skincare from your face to your neck, chest, and hands can truly make a dramatic difference when it comes to decreasing the natural signs of aging skin. By keeping these tips in mind, you can maintain full-body confidence and love all the gorgeous skin you’re in!
Call Pasha Medical Day Spa today for a free consultation, and see what in-office treatments can enhance your hands and décolleté! Our Santa Clarita Restylane and mesotherapy specialists in SCV are here to help!
