Skin rejuvenation and anti-ageing efforts so often focus on the face, which makes sense. You put your face forward every day in first impressions, photos and personal expressions. While you may practice your skincare routine religiously and have the occasional anti-aging treatment to ensure your face looks its best for your age, there are three key areas that might give your efforts away. These are your neck, your décolletage and your hands.
The reason why it’s so important to look after your face is because the facial skin is thinner and more porous than other areas of your body, so it’s more prone to damage. It’s also exposed to the elements (such as UV radiation and pollutants) every day, all year round, as opposed to your arms and legs which might be covered up in winter.
The same goes for your hands, neck and décolletage. In fact, the first signs of ageing often show up on the neck and hands. It’s not uncommon to see someone with clear, healthy-looking skin on the face that contrasts the neck.
Here are 5 steps that you can take for improved neck, decolletage and hand rejuvenation:
1. Proper Medical Grade Skincare
Moisturiser helps to keep the skin hydrated, but it won’t revive the skin’s natural hydration and restoration mechanisms that slow down with age. This is why it’s important to add nourishing serums to your skincare routine. Serums that contain vitamins and collagen peptides can help your collagen cells stay healthy to reduce the signs of ageing and skin damage.
When you work out a skincare routine that works for your face, you can apply the same products on your neck, décolletage and hands. Most of the skin on our bodies is thicker and less porous than the face, so these products may not be as effective on the knees and elbows, but they can work on the delicate skin on your face, neck, hands and décolletage.
2. Growth Factor Injections
Growth factor injections, or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments, are also known as “Vampire Facials” because they use plasma derived from your own blood.
In clinic, we take a small blood sample and spin it in a centrifuge to separate the golden-coloured plasma that is so rich in the natural growth factors that lead your cells, tissues and fibres to heal themselves.
The treatment started in sports medicine. When injected into the site of a soft-tissue injury, PRP has been shown to promote healing in the tendons and fibres. It was adopted by the cosmetic medicine industry as an anti-ageing procedure in which PRP is injected into the dermal layer of the skin to restore collagen, repair skin damage and give you a healthy rejuvenated glow.
Although PRP was popularised as a facial, it can also work wonders for wrinkles and loose skin on the neck, décolletage and hands.
3. Dermal Filler
Dermal fillers can be injected in small amounts into different parts of the hands to smooth out wrinkles, hide protruding veins and replenish lost volume.
For the neck and décolletage, there is also an innovative filler treatment that has been around for a few years, but has just gained popularity over the last few months. At Rejuvenation Clinics of Australia we call it the Glow Factor Injection, but it might also be known as Micro Filler or R* Beauty Booster.
For this treatment, we use dermal filler made from a hydrating substance that occurs naturally in the skin’s barrier, mixed with antioxidants and other nourishing ingredients. Then we use a special applicator to inject tiny amounts all over the dermal layer of your skin. The result is all-round plump, healthy-looking skin. It’s also very good for treating creping skin and accordion lines on the face, neck and décolletage.
4. Laser treatments for pigmentation
Pigmentation, which is sometimes referred to as “age spots” or “sun spots,” forms as a result of sun damage in the skin. When the melanocytes (the pigment-producing cells) are damaged, they can produce too much pigment in one area or place pigment in a deeper layer of skin where it gets trapped.
Laser treatments, such as Pico Deep Rejuvenation or Fraxel, can be used to break down the pigmentation in your skin. This helps your body remove pigmentation so your dark spots fade and your skin has a more even-looking tone. Which laser treatment we recommend will depend on the nature of your concern. There are different treatments for hyperpigmentation and solar lentigos. The more tailored a treatment is, the better the result is likely to be.
Again, we all so often focus on getting an even complexion, but these laser treatments can be used just about anywhere on the body, including the neck. Hands and décolletage.
5. Sunscreen
Australia has exceptionally strong UV radiation. The major dermatology and skin cancer organisations in Australia have determined that we pick up small yet cumulative amounts of sun damage in our skin cells every time we go outside.
Our arms and legs are covered throughout most of the year, but come summer or winter, our hands, neck and décolletage are just as exposed as our faces.
Prevention is always easier than cure, so when you apply sunscreen to your face, don’t forget these other areas. Our Principal Nurse Robyn Cussell always says “Sunscreen is the cheapest anti-ageing you can buy.” Try carrying a hand-bag sized sunscreen to reapply to your hands after washing them throughout the day.
