Six Ways to Prevent Chest Wrinkles

We spend so much time treating our faces with creams, serums, peels and in-office procedures but we can often neglect the all telling chest area. Fine lines and deep wrinkles in the décolletage area are a part of the aging process but can be accelerated by years of sun damage and sleeping in positions that cause the formation of wrinkles.

Check out the top six free or low cost things you can start doing today to prevent and improve chest wrinkles.

1. Sun Protection

Using sun protection is number one because it’s so easy to do and is one of the most important preventative tools in your anti-aging arsenal. Depending upon what you’re wearing, the chest skin area is constantly exposed to the sun. Think about the countless hours spent driving, gardening, and walking outdoors all the while exposing the chest area to UV rays.

As part of your morning routine, slather your facial sunscreen onto your neck and chest. Consider wearing UPF shirts and a wide brim hat while spending extended periods of time in the sun. This is the absolute best thing you can do to prevent the chest area from developing dark spots and wrinkles.

2. Change Your Sleep Position

While this is a relatively free solution, changing your sleeping position is likely the most difficult change to make. Side sleepers and tummy sleepers alike can both prevent developing cleavage wrinkles and facial fine lines by sleeping on their backs. Have you ever woken up with pillow lines or deep creases in your chest after a night of side sleeping? That’s hours spent in one position that could be causing new chest wrinkles to form.

One tactic to make this shift to back sleeping easier includes using a wedge pillow. Using a wedge pillow has multiple benefits including elevating the head to lessen the amount of fluid pooling in your face, alleviating under eye and facial puffiness. There are also pillows that immobilize the head to keep it in one position with soft guardrails, discouraging side or tummy sleeping. I prefer the wedge pillow approach and have been using it for the last few years. 

If you are a die-hard side sleeper and cannot train yourself to sleep on your back, consider using a medical-grade silicone pad such as Sio skinpads for chest wrinkles. These silicone pads help smooth and straighten the skin while retaining the skin’s moisture resulting in a more youthful appearance.

Ultimately, getting plenty of sleep is way more important to achieving youthful skin so if you’re not getting a good night’s sleep on your back, shift back to what works for you. It’s called beauty sleep for a reason!

3. Use Chemical Exfoliants

If you are a skincare afficianado, you are likely already using a form of an AHA (alpha hydroxyl acids) in your skincare routine. These include glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid. These acids act as chemical exfoliants that slough off dead skin cells giving the treated skin area a brighter skin tone. They also help the skin retain moisture, reducing the appearance of crepey skin and fine lines.

AHAs can be irritating so it is best to start with a lower concentration and alternate days of use. For example, I use these low concentration AHA Glow Baby Brightening Peel Pads in the morning and this lactic acid serum at night three days per week. I’ve seen a reduction in brown spots on my chest and minimizing of the vertical lines on my upper chest likely caused by years of side sleeping. 

Ensure you are applying sunscreen daily as use of chemical exfoliants can increase the treated area’s sensitivity to sunburn.

4. Retinol

Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that you might already be using on your face at night. It is one of the best products to help with the natural signs of aging by promoting cell turnover and increasing collagen production. Retinol or its prescription form, tretinoin, can be slightly irritating, causing redness and flaky skin while also increasing sensitivity to burn during sun exposure.

I get a monthly delivery of prescription trentinoin from Curology and I love, love, love this service. You just fill out a short questionnaire about your skin concerns and upload photos of your skin. A dermatologist reviews your pics and medical history and provides prescription tailored to your unique needs. I also struggle with very minor rosacea so my prescription also contains niacinamide and azelaic acid. It’s so convenient as it ships automatically to me every month. Click here to Start Your 30-Day Free Trial with Curology.

5. Red light therapy

You can check out my post all about my favorite red light mask here and it’s benefits to turning back skin’s signs of aging. I am over the moon about the results I am seeing from daily use. I just can’t bring myself to plunk down the cash for the chest and neck mask so I have been laying the Omnilux Contour face mask across my chest and it works! I’ve seen such an improvement in the lightening of sun spots and pesky chest wrinkles in the cleavage area. 

If you are willing to invest in the red-light face mask, I would say this is the best option outside of an ablative laser treatment for improving chest appearance. I do plan to invest in the chest and neck mask at some point, but need to save up for that. 

6. Don’t Forget to Moisturize

Last but not least is to slather on moisturizer to your chest area. Dry chest skin will only exacerbate the appearance of wrinkles and dull skin tone. You can extend your favorite moisturizer and vitamin c products down to your neck and chest area and reap the benefits. 

Ideally, choose a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid which helps retain and draw in moisture, giving the skin a plumper more supple appearance. I layer on this Cerave moisturizer in the AM and PM followed by this Cerave sunscreen lotion in the AM even if I’m staying indoors. 

Don’t Neglect Your Chest

It’s so easy to neglect the chest area as we’re so focused on the face. Don’t go to all the hard work of treating your face without also taking care of your neck and chest. There are absolutely some pricey and more invasive ways to treat deep chest wrinkles and age spots including Fraxel laser or even botox injections. Both are great options to review with your medical provider to see if you are a good candidate.