Updated 9/1/17. The skin on the neck and chest is an extension of the face, so caring for this area as much as you care for your face is very important. After all, who wants to have smooth skin on their face and a dry, crepey neck? In the photo above, I show France’s royalty, the beautiful Brigitte Bardot. While I love that she is aging gracefully (as so many French women do), this before and after shows the importance of extending your skin care products onto your décolleté. It appears this is something Brigitte may not have done. Which leads me to one of the biggest skincare mistakes you might be making.
Most women know to apply moisturizer daily and nightly to the neck, and many do. The mistake lies in treating the neck as an afterthought. A woman typically rubs moisturizer onto her face and then extends down on to the neck using whatever is leftover on her fingertips. Sound like you? While the intention is good, this doesn’t really help in the quest for smooth, moist skin on the neck.
This particularly true with sunscreen. Sunscreen is the best anti-aging product in the world since the #1 cause of premature skin aging is exposure to the sun’s UV rays. A small amount of sunscreen applied to the neck as an afterthought is hardly enough. Apply sunscreen generously for full sun protection; the application is even more important than the sunscreen’s SPF number! A great product option is Daily Protection SPF 30 (and a favorite of actress Sofia Vergara).
What is the best way to help prevent wrinkles on the neck area DURING THE DAY? Treat your décolleté region separately to ensure that you’re giving it the proper attention that it needs. This means applying one coat of moisturizer (with sunscreen during the day) to the face and then a second full application to the front and sides of the neck. This will ensure that the neck gets a proper coating of moisturizer and enough sunscreen protection to keep it looking soft, smooth and damage-free. Finally, if you’re wearing a v-neck or lower cut shirt, cover any additional exposed areas of the chest or neckline.
What is the best way to help prevent wrinkles on the neck area AT NIGHT? The décolleté region will greatly benefit from using a treatment cream specifically formulated for this area. Intensive Firming Neck Creme is the one that I recommend to my clients. It’s loaded with firming and smoothing agents to make the skin appear more youthful looking. It’s an amazing formula.
In addition, retinol is a powerful ingredient found in high-performance products. I recommend that my clients use Advanced Resurfacing Serum on the neck and chest at night. It’s formulated for sensitive skin yet has the ability to dramatically smooth the skin’s texture (with continued use).
The skin on your neck and chest is an extension of your face so be sure to care for it as faithfully as you do your face. If you already have a lot of visible damage, read my tips on how to repair the skin.
Which skin care products are best for you? See our nine skin types or take the Skin Type Quiz and get products recommended.
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Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”
