The décolletage refers to your neck and chest area. The term is derived from the French decolleter, which means to “expose the neck”. It is a critical cosmetic area that often gets overlooked but deserves just as much care and attention as other areas of your body.

Like your face, this part of your body is prone to sun exposure and premature aging. Pollution and UV radiation are the main risk factors for skin damage causing the décolletage to be a common area for skin cancers to develop. Adopting a skincare routine that includes cleansing, exfoliating, moisturising and applying topical treatments to your décolletage can boost the appearance of this area. While wearing sun cream will help slow down the signs of aging and skin damage.

VOYA’S TOP TIPS TO CARE FOR YOUR DÉCOLLETAGE

1. APPLY SUNSCREEN AND WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE

When outdoors always wear sun cream on the décolletage and all exposed areas of your body throughout the whole year. For extra protection, use a waterproof SPF 50 or higher. A dose of sunshine is an excellent way to boost your mood and increase vitamin D levels. Too much sun exposure can damage your skin and increase your risk of skin cancer.

Wear clothing that provides shade such as wide-brim hats. If you exercise in the sun, consider wearing athletic clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor, or UPF, of 50.

2. BE GENTLE WHEN CLEANSING

The skin on your décolleté is thin and delicate. Scrubbing this area can irritate the skin and accelerate aging. Use your fingertips to gently apply a cleanser and rinse with lukewarm water.

3. EXFOLIATE REGULARLY

In addition to cleansing consider using an exfoliating product or mask a few times a week. This can help slough away dead skin cells on your neck and chest. For a super soft finish, use VOYA’s exfoliating body brush to gently dry brush your décolletage. This natural brush is made with cactus bristle to remove dry skin cells and stimulate the skin to leave it looking renewed and radiant.

4. USE MOISTURISER AND SERUMS

Use a moisturiser or serum with Sodium Hyaluronate on the skin of your décolletage to enhance skin hydration. Sodium Hyaluronate can decrease the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin hydration, firmness, and elasticity, and keep skin looking firm and youthful.

VOYA use Sodium Hyaluronate which is a derivative of Hyaluronic acid, as this form is less susceptible to oxidation, so it’s more stable and absorbs into the skin better.

5. USE PRODUCTS WITH ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants help protect your skin and reverse damage from free radicals. By protecting the skin from free radical damage, you can help to protect against premature aging, prevent pollution damage and decrease sensitivity.

Seaweed contains a wide range of antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, carotenoids and flavonoids. All VOYA seaweeds have been proven to increase the skins ability to fight against free radicals by over 100%.

We spoke to VOYA’s skincare expect, Gayle, to share her tips for taking care of your décolletage.

What is the difference between moisturisers and serums?

“Do you need both in your skincare routine, yes, ideally serums are to be applied first, as they have a smaller molecular size, lighter in texture and can get to work correcting the deeper dermal layers of the skin, a moisturiser job is to look after the upper epidermal layers, treat any immediate needs and lock in the moisture to the skin.”

Do’s and Don’ts for cleansing your décolletage?

“Include the décolletage in your daily facial care routine – cleansing with our deep cleansing Totally Balmy and removing with our warm Muslin face cloth is ideal, the muslin cloth also provided a delicate “buff” to the skin”.

“Deeply hydrate to keep fine lines and creepy skin at bay – Sodium Hyaluronate (hydrolysed Hyaluronic Acid!) and Squalene is present in a large percentage of facial care product, using a combination of our My Little Hero Serum and Hydra Veil Mask can help to intensely hydrate the deeper layer of the skin and also help to boost collagen production by 202%!”

“Along with hydration, antioxidant protection is essential to help correct premature aging, environmental damage and protect the décolletage from future damage. VOYA’s skincare line is packed full of seaweeds, which can help to increase antioxidant protection by 724%, alongside seaweed we include some of the world’s most antioxidant botanical ingredients such as Baobab, Pomegranate, Argan oil etc”.

Why should you exfoliate?

“Exfoliating 1 -2 times max per week is a great way to boost radiance within the skin as you are assisting your skin to complete its natural desquamation process but this will also help to stimulate the skin, boost cell turnover, allow your skin to absorb products quicker and more efficiently.”