I have noticed that recently I’ve acquired some deep wrinkles on my chest. How depressing. They run vertically from my collarbone to my cleavage and they seem to have come out of nowhere. I am sure that they have taken root since I was forced to start sleeping on my side by a painful back injury. Before then I was always a front sleeper.
My friend and I were talking about the best ways to get rid of chest wrinkles a couple of weeks ago and it gave me the idea to write this blog, as I think it’s a query that a lot of us have. So, without further ado, here are my tips to help keep your décolletage smooth and youthful:
1. Include your chest in your skincare routine
Your skincare routine doesn’t stop at your neck. You need to be bringing it down all the way to your cleavage. Cleanse it (but not abrasively, be gentle and don’t scrub), acid exfoliate it, get those serums on it (I use vitamin C in the morning and then retinol in the evening on mine, but more on that later) and moisturise.
2. Apply SPF
If your chest is exposed to the sun then you also need to finish your routine with a broad spectrum SPF 30 (but preferably SPF 50+). You may wonder why on earth you’d cleanse and exfoliate your chest, but doing this will create the optimum skin environment for your treatment serum(s) to penetrate the skin and work their magic. Popping your moisturiser on top seals in the good stuff and keeps skin hydrated and smooth, but then follow this with your SPF.
3. Avoid side sleeping
I have noticed wrinkles on my chest since sleeping on my side, so I have tried to get used to sleeping on my back instead. If you have boobs and/or are losing the elasticity in your skin due to ageing (this is me) then sleeping on your side is not your friend because gravity is involved, if you get what I mean.
4. If you must side sleep, use a silicone chest pad
I was shown these silicone chest pads recently by a friend. I looked into them and they claim to stop the wrinkles forming on your chest caused by side sleeping. My guess is that they do this because they stick over the middle part of your chest and stop it from moving when you’re on your side. Many of the blurbs on these products claim to ‘turn back the clock’ on your chest wrinkles, but I am skeptical in their ability to actually reverse wrinkles. I think they can stop them forming, but I believe only retinoids are scientifically proven to reverse signs of ageing.
5. Use a retinoid before bed
I am big advocate of the power of a topical retinoid. These wonder serums really do work and I use mine most nights before bed, followed by a moisturiser. If you already use a retinoid on your face before bed, all you need to do is make sure you’ve cleansed your chest and then take the serum all the way down to your cleavage, wait for it to absorb and then moisturise afterwards. If you are new to retinoids, have a read about them in my earlier post about skincare routines and then you can decide if they’re for you.
