Cleavage Wrinkles?! How They Are Caused and How to Prevent Them

From cleansers to serums, beauty sleep to nutrition, fitness to shapewear, the route to beauty can be a long one. Wrinkles are one thing that are always top of mind, and it seems that it’s not just the face—cleavage wrinkles are now a growing concern for many women. While they may seem like a natural part of the aging process, there are actually ways to prevent cleavage wrinkles. Before you can prevent them, though, you need to know what’s causing them. Here are the most common causes of cleavage wrinkles and how you can prevent them from settling in long-term.

What Causes Cleavage Wrinkles?

There’s no doubt that a night of beauty sleep is important, but did you know that certain sleeping positions can actually lead to more wrinkles on the chest area? It’s certainly not the ideal outcome, but it’s common, particularly among those with a larger bust, whether natural or surgical. When you sleep on your side, the weight of one breast naturally falls upon the other—thanks, gravity. After eight hours of this each and every night, the once-temporary wrinkles you wake up with between your breasts eventually become permanent. This is much more likely to become the case if skin becomes dehydrated or weakened over time due to cumulative sun exposure, a sugar-laden diet, or other common wrinkle-causing culprits.

Add to that the fact that skin along the décolletage tends to be thinner and produces less oil for natural hydration, and it’s the perfect storm for premature aging and wrinkled skin. Push-up and sports bras that push cleavage together may also contribute to chest wrinkles, as can dramatic weight loss, both due to prior stretching that wears down skin’s elasticity. 

As with any beauty regimen, whether you plan to thwart cleavage wrinkles or accept them as part of the natural aging process is a personal choice. For those looking for preventative or smoothing options, we’ve collected a few tips on how to prevent cleavage wrinkles.

How to Prevent Cleavage Wrinkles

There are a few ways to either prevent or minimize the appearance of cleavage wrinkles:

1. Always Wear Sunscreen: We really can’t say it enough. No matter your skin tone or genetics, wearing a minimum SPF 30 sunscreen daily and reapplying it properly to any exposed skin is a necessity. This is especially true for preventing chest wrinkles, as the chest tends to sit at just the right angle to soak up even more of that skin-damaging UV light if you’re not taking the proper precautions.
2. Alter Your Sleep Position: Sleep on your back for fewer wrinkles on your chest and face. For those who tend to toss and turn, start your night on your back with either a standard pillow or body pillow propped close to either side of your body. Alternatively, rolled blankets or a pile of thicker clothes or towels tucked in around your sides may do the trick.
3. Extend Anti-Aging Skin Care to Your Chest: Cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate from the forehead down to your chest. Whatever your standard facial skin care routine is, it should be the same for your chest. Deep-moisturizing or plumping masks help to improve the hydration levels of skin on the chest and can work to smoothen and mask fine lines while preventing further wrinkles. Retinoid creams can also help to boost natural collagen levels, fending off fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Sleep with a Special Sports Bra or Silicone Patches: For those who can’t avoid sleeping on their sides, test out specially designed sports bras or silicone skin patches that separate and support breasts while you sleep. Sleeping sports bras designed to prevent chest wrinkles look a little bit like a standard sports bra worn backward. Made with soft material, they offer a way to support breasts without compressing them or irritating skin. Similarly, silicone skin patches are designed to be applied and stick between breasts to support the upper breast and prevent it from falling past your body’s midline.
5. Explore Injections: An immediate fix for deeper wrinkles, carefully placed injectables can plump skin between the breasts, offering a smoother appearance. While noticeable results may be seen for a few months, maintenance injections will be required and this option doesn’t really prevent further wrinkling, but rather it simply masks any current or new wrinkles. Injectables with a hyaluronic acid base are suggested to prevent unwanted lumps or bumps in this area, which is a higher risk with alternative injectables due to décolletage skin being thinner and much more delicate.
6. Try a Wrinkle Reduction Treatment Plan: Energy-based non-surgical wrinkle reduction treatment plans offer an effective method to support skin’s natural health by boosting its natural collagen and elastin levels for a firmer, smoother appearance. Utilizing advanced radio frequency technology, these quick treatments are safe for all skin tones and help to support skin health from the inside out, starting deep below the surface. These targeted treatments are ideal for cleavage wrinkles that have become more permanent as well as the appearance of looser skin between the breasts.

To learn more about your non-surgical wrinkle reduction options for a smoother, younger-looking décolletage, connect with a certified treatment provider near you using the search field below.