While many of us take careful and extensive care of our face with a skin care routine, the chest area is typically overlooked. While chest wrinkles are a perfectly normal part of aging, they can knock our confidence.

So, what do you do if you’ve developed chest wrinkles? How do you prevent them from deepening? You can’t stop the signs of aging but you can slow them down. Read on to find out all the reasons that chest wrinkles are formed, and how you can reduce their appearance once and for all.

What Are Chest Wrinkles?

If you wake up one day and spot deep creases in your chest and cleavage area, these are the first signs of chest wrinkles. The skin in this area may also start to look crepey or saggy in texture. If sun damage has occured, you may also spot dark spots or dryness too. Below are five reasons why you may have developed chest wrinkles, but if you’re more concerned with wrinkles on your hands, knees and elbows, you may want to look at these simple tactics to reduce the signs of damage on those areas instead.

5 Reasons Why You Have Chest Wrinkles

1. The Natural Aging Process

As we age, our body produces less collagen, and our skin has less elasticity. Specifically, the dermis, the middle layer of the skin, gets thinner, making it more difficult for the dermis to retain moisture. 

2. Sun Damage

Skin that is regularly exposed to damaging UV rays can cause long-term chest wrinkling and sagging, a symptom of sun damage. In fact 80% of visible aging is caused by exposure to the sun’s UV rays. If you’re getting sunburnt through tanning, or you spend a lot of time outdoors, be aware that sunburn causes collagen and elastin to rapidly break down. As dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD tells Byrdie magazine: “Over time, collagen is degraded by sunlight and free radical damage, which causes this already thin-skinned area of the body to become even more so.”

3. Sleeping Position

Are you a side sleeper? You may have to start changing your sleeping habits. Rachel also tells Byrdie that the two biggest causes of chest wrinkles are “volume loss and repeated folding of the skin.” When sleeping on one side, the chest and neck are under pressure, and the skin between the breasts compress for hours a night, for years on end. 

As The New York Times explains, gravity forces the top breast to go farther past the body’s midline than it should, which forms cleavage wrinkles. If you’re particularly well-endowed (C or D cup and beyond), this sleeping position could be more of a problem for you.

4. Fluctuating Weight Changes

Another factor is skin stretching from significant weight loss or weight gain. Weight changes for improved health is always a positive, but it can lead to deepened wrinkles as your body weight fluctuates. For example, during and after pregnancy and breast-feeding, your breast volume could change, causing more sagging or wrinkles around the chest. 

5. Bras & Shapewear

Unfortunately, the push-up bra that you’re wearing may be contributing to the development of your chest wrinkles. Push-up bras are designed to push your breasts up and together and similarly, sports bras squish the skin between the breasts. This compression folds the skin between the breasts together, further deepening the potential for creasing.

3 Ways Of Getting Rid Of Chest Wrinkles

If chest wrinkles are causing you a lot of grief, it’s time to stop wearing those turtlenecks and follow some of these simple skin care tips. 

1. Stop Sleeping On Your Side

Avoid sleeping on your side or curling up in the fetal position as this causes creasing of the skin. Instead, try and form the habit of sleeping on your back. Another option is to purchase a chest pillow to prevent you from turning back onto your side. Or, for a DIY option, you can tuck rolled-up towels in and around your sides to stop you from shifting back into your natural sleeping position.

2. Slather On Sunscreen With High SPF

Exposure to UVA rays prematurely ages your skin and causes a loss of collagen and skin elasticity. To prevent this damaging exposure, apply sunscreen daily with an SPF higher than 30. Also look for “broad-spectrum” on the label as this formula protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. 

For example, the Lilikoi Mineral Defense Sport Sunscreen is a water-resistant sport sunscreen for face and body. Whether you’re sweating at the gym or strolling around outside, it will protect your skin from sun damage during your outdoor activities. 

3. Apply Skin Care Products 

We’ve gathered some Eminence Organic Skin Care products that we believe are the perfect non-invasive chest wrinkle treatments. Eminence Organics Product Support Representative Nadira Kavanagh suggests starting with the Bamboo Age Corrective Masque. This light-weight formula contains a Natural Retinol Alternative designed to give the skin a lifted appearance. 

If you have deep chest wrinkles, our Firm Skin Acai Exfoliating Peel  provides essential actives to exfoliate and refresh the skin. Regular use of this peel will visibly increase the skin’s firmness, restore the appearance of elasticity and reveal a younger-looking complexion. 

To deeply hydrate the skin, Nadira recommends our Rosehip Triple C + E Firming Oil to smooth the appearance of wrinkles. This formula contains a hydrating combination of rosehip oil, jojoba oil and seabuckthorn oil that will leave the skin feeling firm and plump.

Nadira states: “Our Hibiscus Ultra Lift Neck Cream contains our Advanced Instant Lift fX formulation to give an instant look of firmness.” This should leave the area looking rejuvenated and tightened, according to Nadira. You can also select an overnight option that does the work while you’re asleep — our Monoi Age Corrective Night Cream for Face & Neck. The skin will appear firm and the appearance of wrinkles greatly reduced thanks to the use of Monoi, a hydrating Tahitian oil and Argan Stem Cell Complex.

For more information about targeting the appearance of wrinkles on your chest, visit our Spa Locator to find your nearest Eminence Organics Spa.