Décolleté Decorum

Summer is now long passed, but some lucky co-workers and friends are still sporting golden tans, thanks to recent trips to the Greek Islands, Hawaii, and Belize. As one of my friends recounted her days soaking up the sun in Santorini, I couldn’t help but fixate her décolleté. It was not pretty. It looked splotchy, leathery, and worn because of too much sun exposure.

Freckles are most often cute, but when they are displayed on the décolleté and resemble liver spots, the look is unforgiving.

What’s a décolleté? Definition:
DECOLLETE (n) French: Chest area, the upper part of a woman’s chest, below the neck.

Living in California, a place where a good portion of the female population is extremely disciplined when it comes to working out and taking care of their bodies, I notice more and more women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s with amazing bodies that could put a 21-year-old’s physique to shame. (MILF anyone?)

But in some cases, as you take a closer look and observe their hands, neck, or their décolleté, you know the truth: They are certainly NOT 21 years old. No matter how perky your breasts may be or how ridiculously fit your body is, a sun-damaged or wrinkled décolleté will always betray your age. Over-exposing it to the sun makes it prone to dreaded age spots, overall dullness, fine lines, and crepiness (loss of collagen in the skin). Nobody wants their décolleté to mirror a worn out, leathery bag.

Fortunately, you can correct and prevent that unwanted look with products at Sephora. My favorites are:
Prevage Body Total Transforming Anti-Aging Moisturizer: 67% of consumers noticed a reduction in age spots and discolorations.





Kinerase PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Day Moisturizer with SPF 50: Improves skin’s elasticity and reduces the look of wrinkles.





StriVectin Neck Cream: Successfully reduces the appearance of sagging skin of the neckline and décolleté.

Note: Exfoliation is an essential step to any antiaging regimen, so use an exfoliant (like Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash) every other day to get rid of dead skin cells. And of course, try and eat naturally as much as possible. Too much refined sugar has been said to weaken collagen and create brown spots. (Yeah, I have to work on that one too.)

I realize that Thanksgiving is coming up, but remember: The turkey-neck look is never in style. –Joyce Dulanas