Is Your Decolletage Aging You?

Facelifts and breast surgeries are among the most popular cosmetic procedures, but the bit in between the face and breasts - the decolletage - is often forgotten about. Despite the lack of attention given to the chest, it can be a big giveaway about a person’s age - and make people appear older than they really are. That’s because this area gets a lot of sun exposure and is subsequently prone to wrinkling, sagging and discolouration.

The decolletage, which can include part of the shoulders, cleavage, and collarbone regions, provides a ‘frame’ for the face and the bust. It is an area that is on show a lot of the time yet it is one we frequently neglect to take proper care of. Many people forget to include this important area in their skin care regime, failing to moisturise or apply daily sun protection. If you have damage to the decolletage area, don’t despair, there are cosmetic treatments that can help. Surgically, this is a difficult area to treat; because this part of the body is prone to scarring, it’s not suitable for ‘lifting’ in the same way the face and neck are. However, there are a variety of alternative treatments that can help improve the appearance of the skin.

Is Your Decolletage Aging You?

To fill deep lines in the chest, injectable filler such as JUVEDERM, Restylane or Emervel can be used. This is the same filler that is used in the face, but may be diluted for use on the chest, since the skin here is very thin.

Filler is used to plump out the depressed areas and is usually effective and long-lasting (up to two years). This treatment generally requires 1-3 sessions, each taking less than 20 minutes.

To improve the texture of the delicate skin of your decolletage, platelet rich plasma (PRP) offers a non-surgical option. PRP involves injecting a patient’s own blood into the superficial layers of the skin. The blood is first spun in centrifuge to separate the platelets and make a plasma rich in growth factors. The growth factors stimulate the production of collagen, facilitating the repair of damaged skin. PRP therapy will enhance skin texture, tone and luminosity. Skin renewal is continual for about three months after the procedure, with results lasting up to 18 months.

Venus Legacy is a revolutionary new radiofrequency treatment system, which can be used all over the body, including the chest, to tighten lax skin and smooth out wrinkles.

Using radiofrequency to painlessly heat the tissue triggers both the tightening of existing collagen and production of new collagen, helping to rejuvenate the skin. For general skin tightening and smoothing, noticeable results can be achieved in just five 30-minute sessions.

Mesotherapy involves tiny superficial injections of hyaluronic acid filler - a water-loving molecule that occurs naturally in the body. Once injected into the epidermis and mesoderm (middle layer of the skin), the hyaluronic acid molecules start to swell with water, absorbing up to 200 times their weight. This procedure plumps and rehydrates the skin and encourages rejuvenation by promoting the production of collagen and elastin. Mesotherapy is an ideal treatment for the face, neck and decolletage.

A chemical peel can be used to resurface the decolletage skin, improving the appearance of lines and wrinkles, as well as skin pigmentation and blemishes. A chemical solution is applied to the chest to strip away layers of old, damaged skin to make way for new cells. The process is similar to a snake shedding its skin to reveal a bright, new appearance. Peel depth or the number of skin layers removed, is determined by both solution ingredients and concentration. A superficial peel can be performed on an outpatient basis, whereas a deep peel, which can be used to treat deeper wrinkles, will require an overnight stay at the clinic.

Fat transfer, or fat grafting, involves using a patient’s own fat as a filler. Fat is harvested from elsewhere on the body, such as the tummy or flanks, and reinjected into the chest where deep wrinkles are present. It works in the same way as synthetic filler but provides an all-natural alternative, which can be a permanent solution. Since fat contains living stem cells, they can find a new blood supply and live on long-term as vascularized tissue. Additionally, stem cells have a rejuvenating effect on the skin, significantly improving skin quality, texture and tone.

If you’re unsure which of these treatments is best for you, book a consultation at Ocean Clinic Marbella and we can advise based on your specific requirements. It may be that a combination of treatments will give you optimum results. To maintain your results following treatment, ensure you apply a minimum of SPF 30 sun protection to your chest daily and, if you sleep on your side, try to get used to sleeping on your back. Squeezing the cleavage together as you sleep can exacerbate the development of wrinkling.