14 Décolletage Skin Care Tips

We don’t think twice about spending 30 to 45 minutes — or more — in front of a mirror every day taking care of the skin on our faces. But do we give as much thought to the skin on our necks and chests (our décolletage)? We should.

With today’s necklines getting lower and more revealing, keeping your décolletage youthful and fresh is more important than ever.

This idea was summed up nicely by esthetician Joanna Czech in an interview with beauty writer Megan Cahn. Ms. Czech said, “Your face starts at your nipples.”

But taking care of your décolletage can be a daunting task. What factors affect the skin of your décolletage? What products should you use to counteract these effects? And how often should you use them?

This article will answer those questions and discuss 14 tips that will have your décolletage looking smooth and radiant in no time.

What Causes Décolletage Skin Damage?

The major factors that cause skin damage are aging, smoking, sun exposure, lack of moisture, diet, lifestyle, and gravity. And because the skin of your décolletage is thin and delicate, it’s one of the first areas of your body to show signs of damage.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the main causes of décolletage damage.

Aging

Décolletage damage accelerates with aging. As we age, the collagen and elastin in the middle layers of skin begin to break down. These proteins act as a support system pushing out from underneath to keep your skin firm.

When collagen and elastin start to break down, your skin begins to sag inward, resulting in small creases that eventually become wrinkles.

Sun Damage

Sun exposure only hastens the aging process. The UV rays from the sun cause collagen and elastin to break down more quickly than they would on their own. This results in skin that looks older than it really is.

At the same time, UV rays can damage your skin cells, which makes it harder for them to repair themselves and to create newer, healthier cells.

Diet

A diet high in processed foods and lacking in fruits and vegetables is a recipe for old-looking, wrinkled skin. When your skin cells don’t have the vitamins and minerals they need to remain healthy, they become susceptible to wrinkles and other signs of aging.

On the other hand, if your décolletage’s skin cells are receiving all of the nutrients they need, it’s far easier for them to stay healthy and beautiful.

Lifestyle

What do we mean by lifestyle? Well, in addition to your eating habits, many other daily lifestyle choices contribute to damage on your décolletage.

For example, not drinking enough water or getting too little sleep can be harmful for your skin. The same is true for drinking too much alcohol and using tobacco products.

Infrequent exercise is also a cause of skin damage, even on your décolletage. All of these little life choices can add up to some major effects.

Gravity

There’s not much we can do to stop the forces of gravity, but gravity is, unfortunately, a major cause of décolletage damage. It constantly pulls your skin toward the Earth, which can lead to wrinkles and sagging over time.

All of this might sound discouraging, but don’t fret! There are easy steps you can take to counteract these damaging effects and restore your décolletage’s youthful glow!

The Best Décolletage Skin Care Tips

Keeping your décolletage smooth and young-looking doesn’t have to be an involved process.

Some simple additions to your existing routine — like wearing sunscreen, using a SiO SkinPad, and drinking plenty of water — will go a long way toward achieving the repair and rejuvenation you’re looking for.

1) Use Sunscreen

Protect yourself from the sun’s harmful UV rays and get younger-looking skin in the process. Sunscreen should be applied to your décolletage before you leave the house in the morning, and then every two hours thereafter if you’re spending time outside.

To block 97 percent of the sun’s harmful rays, choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. And don’t be fooled by expensive sunscreens with ultra-high SPF. Sunscreens with high SPF can block slightly more UV rays, but none is 100 percent effective.

2) Exfoliate

We all know how important exfoliating is for our faces. Keep in mind that it’s equally helpful for your décolletage!

There are two ways to exfoliate your skin: physical exfoliation and chemical exfoliation. You can use either type of exfoliant for your décolletage. But what’s the difference?

Physical exfoliation literally scrubs off your dead skin cells. This is usually accomplished by tiny beads in a facial scrub or with a tool like a pumice stone. Chemical exfoliation also works to loosen and get rid of the dead cells on your skin, but it does so through acid.

If you’re looking for natural skin care solutions, don’t run away from the word “chemical.” There are plenty of natural chemical exfoliants — like lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

Use a gentle product, such as a natural exfoliator, to cleanse your delicate décolletage. Try to avoid exfoliating products that use microplastics, as those can actually damage your skin. On top of that, studies have shown that microplastics are bad for the environment.

But no worries, you don’t need a fancy store-bought exfoliant to get the job done. In fact, you can make your own with a few simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen.

Combine ground oats, honey, and milk to make a scrub you can use for your décolletage as well as your face! If you want something even easier, mix one teaspoon of baking soda and two teaspoons of water to make an exfoliating paste.

And if you don’t even want to bother with mixing two ingredients, you’re still in luck! Using apple cider vinegar as an exfoliant is about as easy as it gets.

All you have to do is put some apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and rub it over your skin. The acid in the vinegar works by chemically exfoliating your skin.

Gently exfoliating your décolletage once or twice a week (but no more than that!) will help remove dead skin cells. Once you’ve washed away all the dead skin, your newer, healthier skin can shine through!

3) Cleanse Your Skin Daily

It’s important to remove all the dirt and oils that build up on the skin of your décolletage over the course of the day. Before bed, use a gentle cleansing product to lightly exfoliate, clear pores, and repair your décolletage.

4) Take Short, Warm-Water Showers

A hot shower is a fabulous way to relax after a long day at work, but it may actually damage your skin!

The human body produces a natural protective oil called sebum. In short, sebum coats the surface of your skin and helps keep moisture locked into your skin cells.

Extra-hot showers can wash away the protective layer of sebum, leaving your skin vulnerable to dryness. And wrinkles form much easier when your skin is dry.

To protect your décolletage, remember to use warm water, rather than taking a super steamy shower. Also, try to limit your showers to around seven minutes, or 10 at the very most. This will help keep your décolletage looking smooth and vibrant!

5) Fight Gravity While You Sleep

Gravity can pull the skin of your décolletage into positions it wasn’t meant to take. Prolonged exposure to the abnormal skin positions caused by gravity can result in folds, wrinkles, and creases on your décolletage. This is especially true if you sleep on your side.

To combat this issue, try to sleep on your back as much as possible. Switching to satin sheets can also help prevent gravity-related creases by reducing the friction between your skin and your sheets.

You can also fight the effects of gravity by using a product like SiO Beauty’s SkinPad. The SkinPad is worn while you sleep and provides support to the skin of your décolletage.

6) Exercise Regularly

Medical professionals recommend getting one hour of moderately vigorous exercise at least three times per week.

This means that you don’t have to run wind sprints to stay healthy! Speed walking, jogging, and going for a bike ride are all effective ways to get adequate aerobic activity.

Of course, getting enough exercise isn’t just good for your heart — it’s good for your skin, too! Working out relieves stress, which studies have shown to be a factor in keeping skin healthy and preventing blemishes.

Of course, regular exercise also keeps your body fit and slim. This helps your décolletage stay smooth and wrinkle-free!

Another way exercise helps is by increasing blood flow to your skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients and whisking away waste products.

Being active can also help you sleep well at night, which is actually very important when it comes to keeping your skin in tip-top shape (more on that later).

7) Moisturize Daily

As we’ve already mentioned, moisture is very important for the health of your skin. But to really get moisturization right, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: the small difference between moisturization and hydration.

Remember that natural oil called sebum that we mentioned in point number 4? It’s what provides a protective barrier on the surface of your skin and traps water inside your skin.

Moisturization occurs on the surface of your skin to maintain that ever-important hydration, which is the water inside your skin cells. To sum up: the sebum is the moisturization and the water in your skin is the hydration.

Basically, that means that in order to have the healthiest and most glowing, wrinkle-free skin all over, you need lots of hydration from the inside (like you get from drinking water!) and moisturization on the outside.

To moisturize well, your daily routine should include a serum that works to rejuvenate and protect your skin. For best results, apply the moisturizer in the morning for all-day protection.

SiO Beauty patches are a fantastic way to provide your skin with the power-combo of both moisturization and hydration.

SiO’s hydrating patches work by drawing moisture up from the lower layer of your skin into the upper layer (the dermis). That extra moisture hydrates and causes the dermis to plump and fill in, which makes your wrinkles and fine lines less noticeable! That’s a win-win.

8) Eat Plenty Of Fruits And Vegetables

A healthy diet can work wonders for your skin by repairing damage from the inside out. Your skin needs the vitamins and minerals it gets from the foods you consume to function properly.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables gives your body the nutrients it deserves. This, in turn, keeps your skin healthy.

Always keep your home stocked with these 27 anti-aging foods. You can also try adding a few superfoods, like kiwi, avocado, and almonds to your daily diet and watch the healing begin.

9) Drink 8 Cups Of Water Every Day

We can’t overstate the importance of moisture for your skin.

You wear a SiO SkinPad every night and apply a moisturizer every morning, and that’s a great start. But you can add to the healing effects of these products by drinking at least eight cups of water every day.

Your skin is the last organ to receive the benefits from the water you drink, so be sure to consume plenty every day. If you find it hard to remember to drink water, try carrying a water bottle and make it your goal to drink three or four of them in the course of your day.

If guzzling water isn’t your cup of tea (pun intended), another great option to up your water intake is drinking tea!

Green tea is just one example of a beverage that will hydrate your skin and provide your body with lots of healthy antioxidants.

10) Sleep At Least 8 Hours Every Night

Remember earlier when we mentioned that good sleep contributes to healthy, beautiful skin? It’s true. While you sleep, your body works to rid itself of the stress hormone cortisol.

Too much cortisol in your body leads to inflammation in various organs, including your skin. This inflammation can hasten the breakdown of the collagen and elastin that keep your skin smooth.

Your sleeping hours are when your skin has a chance to heal and rebuild itself, but nighttime is also when your SiO Beauty patches work their magic.

Just apply the patches to clean, dry skin before hopping into bed and the hydrating patches do the rest. Take the patches off in the morning and put them back on the storage shield to save them for the next night.

If wrinkle reduction and skin hydration aren’t convincing enough, the other great thing about SiO patches is that they can be reused up to 10 times!

Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night to give your SiO patches time to work and to give your body the time it needs to rejuvenate your skin.

To make it easier to get those valuable eight hours, keep to a regular bedtime, turn off electronics at least one hour before you turn in, and reduce the temperature in your bedroom.

11) Drink Alcohol In Moderation

When consumed in large amounts, alcohol can seriously damage your skin cells. First of all, alcohol dehydrates your skin — and we’ve already explained how crucial moisture is for a healthy décolletage!

On top of that, alcohol puts free radicals and other toxins into your body, which can damage your skin cells and make it more difficult for them to regenerate themselves.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a glass of wine or a nice cocktail every once in a while. Just remember to drink in moderation and drink plenty of water to rehydrate.

12) Be Gentle With Your Skin

Because the skin on your décolletage is so delicate, you need to be extra gentle with it. Rubbing, stretching, or pulling the décolletage can cause damage and lead to more wrinkles and creases.

Make sure to gently lather on cleansers when you’re in the shower. Pat your décolletage dry with a soft towel after you’ve finished showering. Always be gentle when applying sunscreen, moisturizers, or serums. Finally, never scratch or rub your décolletage.

All of these simple tips will help keep your décolletage beautiful and wrinkle-free.

13) Practice Good Posture

All of our habits affect our skin, and that includes facial posture and body posture. Facial expressions (such as raising your eyebrows and squinting your eyes) produce expression lines like forehead lines and crow’s feet.

In a similar way, your body posture affects your décolletage. So, another tip for caring for your décolletage is to focus on having good posture.

In this day and age, it seems like keeping proper posture is next to impossible, as we’re all constantly staring down at our smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

This is horrible for your décolletage!

When you slump your shoulders or sit with your back hunched, the skin on your décolletage becomes folded and creased. These unnatural positions can lead to damage and wrinkles.

To prevent these wrinkles from forming, simply sit up straight! Try to keep your back straight and your shoulders back. Imagine that you’re balancing a book on your head—that’s the best way to keep good posture!

Maintaining good posture will keep the skin on your décolletage taut and stop wrinkles in their tracks.

14) Wear A SiO Beauty SkinPad

The SiO Beauty SkinPad was specifically designed to eliminate décolletage wrinkles while also preventing new ones from forming.

Here’s what Dr. Ryan Neinstein, a plastic surgeon based in NYC, has to say about the SiO Beauty SkinPad:

“The décolleté is the most difficult area to treat for my patients. The skin is quite thin and it’s constantly exposed to the elements and doesn’t have the building blocks of healing that other areas of the skin have. Using the SiO SkinPad overnight, you plump up the wrinkles and give the appearance of silky smooth skin."

The results Dr. Neinstein is referring to aren’t just in isolated cases. We tested our products on 200 women in clinical trials, and dermatologists found that SiO Beauty pads boost hydration and reduce wrinkle depth in as little as one night!

If you’re ready for a smooth, gorgeous décolletage, start wearing a SiO Beauty SkinPad tonight!

Put It All Together

As you can see, keeping the skin of your décolletage healthy and smooth is not as difficult as you might think.

A simple beauty routine including sunscreen, a cleanser and a SkinPad at night, and a moisturizer in the morning is pretty much all you need to repair existing wrinkles and prevent new ones from forming.

To provide even more repair and prevention to your day, eat a healthy diet full of wrinkle-fighting superfoods, drink plenty of water, and be sure to get your beauty sleep.