Daily Mail - 05.03.2020

Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020^ Page 53

femail Beauty

Dress, £145,

kitristudio.

com; heels,

£146.25,

lkbennett.

com

Top, £155,

Ganni at

irisfashion.

co.uk

more likely to show wrinkles. There

are fewer fibroblasts (collagen-

producing cells) in this area, so the

skin is less elastic.’

When we hit the menopause, a

reduction in oestrogen can make

the skin drier still. Is it any wonder

our chests can look more creased

than our faces in the morning?

Even the eternally youthful Cindy

Crawford suffers. ‘When you’re 20,

pillow lines go away in 15 minutes,

but everything takes a bit longer in

the 40s and 50s,’ she said.

As a 48-year-old sun-worshipper, I

have to agree with Cindy. But thanks

to spring/summer’s square necklines

(see left), I want to make amends

before jumper season ends.

Fortunately, Dr Shotter has a new

treatment available that aims to

soften ‘necklace lines’ as well as

creased, crepey-looking skin and

sun damage pigmentation spots.

‘It is a multi-layered approach to

collagen boosting,’ she says.

‘It’s a peel, microneedling and at-

home clinic-strength aftercare.

‘It’s like visiting the dentist — the

treatment is all very well, but you

must continue with good habits

at home.’

I do hope it isn’t as terrifying as

visiting the dentist. My initial

consultation establishes how many

sessions I’ll need (four treatments

one week apart).

More damaged skin can require up

to 12 sessions. I am given a

Brightening & Filling Peel by

Peel2Glow (£49, amazon.co.uk) to

apply to my chest the night before

the microneedling. It uses glycolic

and mandelic acids to exfoliate and

boost collagen production, and

brightening vitamin C.

The microneedling itself, which

creates tiny puncture wounds, can

be done with barely there, 0.5mm

needles, to a more toe - curling

3mm, but it’s usually not more than

1.5mm for the neck or chest area.

The healing process stimulates

collagen production.

The holes also let skincare prod-

ucts sink in more deeply.

With a layer of numbing cream,

the microneedling is tolerable. I’d

give it a four out of ten on the pain

scale, and it’s over in ten minutes.

A serum is then massaged in to

soothe my skin. The redness lasts

for about 72 hours.

I’m given a trio of products to

apply at home over the next few

weeks. The first is Cyspera Intensive

Pigment Corrector (£139), a 15-

minute mask that softens the look

of pigmentation. It’s followed by

AQ Active Serum (£157) containing

plant-based active ingredients, and

SkinBetter Science InterFuse Face

And Neck moisturiser (£111).

I found the additions to my nightly

routine a faff. But, if it de-crepes

my decolletage, it will be worth it.

After the second microneedling

session there is a noticeable

improvement, and by the end of my

course, I’m delighted. My skin looks

firmer, smoother and is even less

creased first thing in the morning.

I’ll definitely be booking a yearly

top-up but, meanwhile, I will try to

remember to always take my facial

routine down to the bra line.

n D r Sophie Shotter’S

Decollete Complexion Fix,

priced from £1,400 (for three

clinic microneedling sessions,

at-home peels and all after-care

products). Available at

illuminate Skin Clinic in Kent

(illuminateskinclinic.co.uk) and

London’s Cosmetic Skin Clinic

(cosmeticskinclinic.com).

by Lucia

Ferrari

The £1,400

‘facelift’ for your

decolletage

don’t worry, there are cheaper options...

the Light Salon’s Boost

Décolletage Bib, £445,

thelight-salon.com

This looks like a priest’s white

collar attached to baby’s bib,

and raised a few eyebrows from my

husband as i wore it watching

Netflix. Like in-salon LED treatments,

it delivers infrared light to the skin.

The light stimulates collagen to smooth wrinkles

and firm skin. i love it (and the results). You can

easily roll it up to travel with it, too.

Natura Bisse’s inhibit tensolift Neck Mask,

£22, naturabisse.com

A bioDEgrADAbLE sheet mask great for

plumping the skin. it contains hyaluronic

acid and gives you an instant glow,

making it great before a party.

Bioeffect Body intensive Serum, £80,

bioeffect.co.uk

iT’ s one of the most effective body serums i’ve

ever tried. skin looks smoother after a week.

Trials show this can improve skin thickness by

6 0 per cent. it’s great for upper arms, too.

It’s spring’s tricky new neckline. Here’s the way to wear it — and how to smooth your chest before you do

D

IrECTor and screenwriter

Nora Ephron, best known

for romantic comedies

When Harry Met Sally and

S l e e p l e s s I n S e a t t l e ,

regretted not having taken better

care of her décolletage in her book I

Feel Bad About My Neck.

And she’s not alone. It’s a curious fact that

while many of us will slather expensive

creams and serums on our faces, we halt the

application at our chin.

Botox doctor Sophie Shotter agrees that

neglected necks and chests can be more of a

giveaway of your age than your hands. ‘The

main problem is most of us don’t apply enough

SPF to necks and chests,’ says Dr Shotter.

‘The skin is thinner than on our faces and

Picture: Ki Price

get the glow: Lucia has a microneedling treatment