When it comes to skin care, everyone focuses on the face. Most people use daily moisturizers, medical grade skin care products, and regular sunscreen on their face, but almost everyone neglects the skin on the rest of the body. Your age is a sure giveaway when your face looks smooth and radiant, yet your neck, arms, and hands look crepey, wrinkled, and spotted.
The skin of the neck, chest, and hands is overexposed to environmental elements, and is typically neglected in a daily skin care routine. Age spots and wrinkled skin occur faster here than in other areas because the skin of the hands and neck is naturally thinner than in other areas of the body. Sagging and loss of elasticity occurs rapidly in these areas. Once the damage is done, it is hard to correct. So it is important to involve these highly conspicuous areas in your normal skin care routine. Whatever you use on your face should be used on these areas as well. Alternatively, SkinCeuticals more recently came out with “Neck, Chest and Hand Repair”, a brightening and redensifying treatment for creping, photodamaged skin. This is a great twice per day product proven to improve the quality of skin in this area, and it comes in a large size, perfect for these larger surface areas.
Other body zones are also commonly neglected when it comes to skin care. People work out regularly to tone the buttocks, abdomen, thighs, and arms. Cosmetic procedures such as liposuction and other body contouring procedures are done commonly to improve these areas that are exposed in warmer temperatures. So why do the majority of people completely ignore the skin in these areas? Skin in these body zones is prone to looseness and sagging, sun damage and age spots, combined with patches of rough and dry skin. While many products are marketed and claim to tighten and smooth skin, most are moisturizers with no other proven benefit. Certainly, daily moisturizers and/or oils are a must in our dry climate with the addition of sunscreen on sun-exposed areas. Cetaphil cream is one of the best hypoallergenic body moisturizers around, and it is inexpensive and available at any drug or grocery store. And women, don’t forget the breasts! One study reported that women who regularly use lotion or moisturizers on the breasts have less breast sagging than those who neglect this area. A few new scientifically proven body products, have been introduced on the market by SkinCeuticals, one of the most reputable manufacturers of medical grade skin care products. A product called “Body tightening concentrate” is a smoothing and firming product, perfect for the upper arms, abdomen, buttocks and thighs. A second product, called “Body Retexturing Treatment” is a resurfacing and replenishing treatment that promotes exfoliation while providing simultaneous hydration to improve skin radiance and smoothness. Both products can be used together twice per day on the extremities, abdomen, and buttocks. These products are also an ideal complement to body contouring procedures, laser, and other rejuvenative procedures to prolong and improve results.
Although we can’t fight gravity and the natural aging process, we can choose skin care products that help to reduce the visible signs of the natural aging process, like the effects of free radicals, environmental damage and dryness. Use twice daily skin care products on your face AND BODY for glowing skin from head to toe.
Dr. Hayley Brown MD, FACS
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Desert Hills Plastic Surgery Center serving Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada
