It’s a ludicrous saying–which is why it isn’t a popular one–but the neck and décolletage area are the lips of the torso, and need to be protected as such. Because it’s pulled on, pinched and exposed to so much more sunlight than the rest of your abdomen, the skin between your chin and your chest is often where skin sags and shows UV damage most prominently besides your face. Many of our skincare regimens draw a line at the chin and seldom cross it, but age and stress don’t restrict themselves to laugh lines and crow’s feet: they’re just as easily expressed by loose, sagging skin around your neck, décolleté area and, as the old wives tales go, your hands. A good hand cream can keep your digits smooth and soft for years, but unfortunately, there are fewer options with neck creams.
Even if you’ve never paid attention to your neck before, now is a good time to start, because, as you’ll soon find, each time you do so so, it’s a chance to learn more about your body. Applying neck and décolletage creams regularly involves massaging areas which would dearly appreciate the rise in blood circulation; this invariably leads to better cellular turnover and epidermal performance within the freshly massaged skin. These creams hydrate and nourish the skin, of course but, more importantly, using firm but soft upward motions ensures that the skin learns to improve its elasticity instead of getting used to wrinkling downward. If in doubt, you can always try using a face cream on your neck and décolleté area to experience the difference first, but if you’re ready for more obvious results, here are the markets best targeted treatments for your neckline right now:
Any quality neck cream is stuffed to the gills with antioxidants, which fight off free radicals and therefore keep your skin from being too damaged by pollutants damaging weather. The Fresh Black Tea Firming Corset Cream ($122) calls on the powerhouse ingredient, fermented black tea, to fend off said free radicals, but the real “firming” effect comes from the plumping goji berry extracts that tightens and brightens the skin. A heavy dose of peptides ensures that already damaged skin has a lush bank of resources to pull on for repair, while plenty of jojoba, glycerin and hyaluronic acid ensures that your skin gets to drink for hours with a single coating of cream.
