A spotty décolletage is the biggest give-away to a woman’s age. Too much sun exposure and not enough SPF can change a smooth, sexy cleavage into one which looks like a prune.
Hyperpigmentation, the discolouring of the skin, usually in small patches, is the bane of many women’s lives. It causes your chest to look a little like a patchwork quilt instead of the silky smooth blanket glow of your dreams. Sun spots, liver spots, age spots – they’re one and the same. Causes include sun exposure, which could lead to solar lentigines (the technical term for brown spots). Sun exposure can also trigger melasma, which frequently occurs on a background of hormonal change (like the pill or pregnancy).
If you’ve suffered with spots or acne, you’ll no doubt have noticed that they too leave a lasting impression on the skin; the dark spots are therefore most common on the face, neck and chest. Any kind of inflammation (blemishes included) can cause it – this is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In very fair skin, the spots tend to be more red-toned whereas in darker skin-types they tend to be brown. Skin colour is key too. The darker your skin, the higher the melanin content, which means you’re more likely to find yourself with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
As always, the more you look after your skin, the more it will thank you in the form of a clearer complexion and even skin tone. No woman needs to put up with a wrinkly and sun-damaged chest. IPL achieves wonders by lessening the appearance of sun spots and stimulating collagen production at the same time.
