Why let your face reap all the rewards of a wrinkle-fighting skincare routine? These tested and approved solutions that battle the signs of aging (especially brown sun spots and sagging) by targeting and repairing damaged skin.
In This Article:
- The Best Anti-Aging Defense is a Good Offense
- Solutions for Sun Spots Below the Neck
- Retinol: Not Just for Your Face
- Ditch Your Skin-Damaging Habits
- The Bottom Line
Reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and discolorations (not to mention restoring a healthy glow) are skincare goals many people have. Yet many of us focus almost exclusively on skin from the neck up, not even trying to get the same benefits for skin elsewhere on our body.
The biggest signs of aging we see on our faces—brown discolorations, dryness, crepey skin, sagging—can appear on your arms, décolleté (chest), legs, and everywhere else, too. The good news is these concerns can be addressed by repairing past damage with a few targeted products whose prices won’t break the bank.
The Best Anti-Aging Defense is a Good Offense
Diligent use of a sunscreen is the most important thing you can do to slow the signs of aging—at any age—whether you’re 16 or 66. One area we often neglect when applying our daily SPF-rated sunscreen is our hands, but our hands get at least as much UV exposure as our face! Brown sun spots and crepey skin on our hands are dead giveaways of sun-damage accumulated over decades—how many decades is a fact that many of us prefer not to broadcast. Consider a sunscreen that provides serious moisture, proven antioxidants, and broad spectrum sun protection.
Solutions for Sun Spots Below the Neck
Keep your skin soft while targeting discolored areas with a daily exfoliant—but not a body scrub or loofah. Physical exfoliation will not lead to younger, more even-toned skin because it tears away at the skin, damaging collagen. Instead, use an AHA (glycolic acid) or BHA (salicylic acid) exfoliant to smooth and gently clear away dead skin, fade brown spots, stimulate collagen production, and soften dry, rough areas. Paula’s Choice RESIST Skin Revealing Body Lotion with 10% AHA is great for sun-damaged areas. If you also have breakouts or red bumps, go for Paula’s Choice RESIST Weightless Body Treatment with 2% BHA.
Retinol: Not Just for Your Face
Antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients are among the superstars that keep skin healthier and younger. They accomplish this by warding off the free-radical damage that contributes to signs of aging, and retinol is one of the hardest workers of the bunch!
Anti-aging routines shouldn’t neglect your body. Target the skin below your neck, especially chest and arms, with a retinol-infused body treatment like Paula’s Choice RESIST Retinol Skin-Smoothing Body Treatment. Retinol works best when paired with other beneficial ingredients—that’s why RESIST Retinol Body Treatment contains such ingredients as glycerin, shea butter, evening primrose oil, and antioxidants like vitamin C.
Ditch Your Skin-Damaging Habits
When youthful skin below the neck is the goal, what you avoid is just as important as the products you use! Preserve that healthy glow and smooth, even skin by breaking these bad habits:
- Get yourself out of hot water. A steamy shower or bath may feel nice in the short-term, but doing it too often or soaking too long will result in alligator-like dry, damaged skin. High temperatures do a number on your skin’s protective barrier, stealing the substances in the skin that keeps your healthy outer layers smooth and intact. Keep the water temperature warm, not hot, and don’t linger in the bath or shower!
- Fragrance = “Eau de Dermatitis.” Many people select body-care products with their nose, but fragrance isn’t skin care—far from it. Skip the fragrance if you want to keep your skin at its best, whether above or below the neck. From your head to your toes, find out why fragrance-free products are always the best choice.
- Clean up your diet. Eating the wrong foods (or not enough of the right ones) plays a significant role in more than just our waistlines. Too much sugar or inflammation-promoters, such as overly processed foods, trans-fat, and red meat, create a free-radical buffet that contributes to (You guessed it!) signs of aging. Read up on the foods to look for (and what to cut out) for healthier, younger-looking skin.
The Bottom Line (for More than Just Your Bottom)
Anti-aging isn’t just for your face—keeping the skin below your neck smoother, firmer, and more even-toned is as easy as picking the right products and treatments. Stick to recommended products that do more, like those loaded with innovative ingredients, and don’t forget the sunscreen! Keeping from the neck down, protected from daily sun damage is the #1 most important thing you can do to ensure smooth, healthy, spot-free, and—OK, we’ll say it—sexy skin.
The post Treating Sun Spots Below the Neck + Other Body Concerns appeared first on The Cosmetics Cop.
