If 2024 beauty standards are to be believed, then the sign of an ageing individual can be detected first from their neck.

A zone that is often neglected in skincare regimes, the neck gets its bad beauty rep from naturally thinner layers of skin, something that becomes more visibly obvious as collagen levels deplete, as well as regular exposure to UV, pollutants and smoke.

In the age of Zoom and selfies the neck has had growing exposure to critique and scrutiny too –  with ‘tech neck’ a now permanent fixture in the beauty lexicon. It’s no surprise then that non-surgical, neck tightening treatments are on the rise with ultrasound, laser, electromagnetic therapy and fat-freezing all available on the dermal menu to lift and tighten horizontal sagging and zap away crepey skin texture and pigmentation. 

On a physical level, our necks do a lot for us. You have more than 20 neck muscles – it is designed to be the most flexible part of your body, supporting your skull and brain while allowing us to scan your environment, chew and swallow.

 

The neck houses and protects your vital airways as well as organs such as your thyroid and parathyroid glands, your spinal cord and seven cervical vertibrae. It holds a lot of tension too and the muscles and ligaments on the back and front sides of the neck can load up with stress, from carrying heavy bags, teeth grinding and clenching, bad sleeping habits and poor desk posture.

At This Works we take into account the mental and physical load that the neck bears for us on a daily basis when formulating our bodycare products.

Perfect Cleavage & Neck Serum, which contains active ingredients, is designed to support the skin and the connective tissues in the neck. Hyaluronic Acid plumps the skin, helping it to retain moisture throughout the 24-hour day and visibly reduces lines while Biopolymers from Marine Algae help to tighten the skin texture so that it’s visibly smoother and firmer.

Each of our Perfect products is designed with a specific area of the body in mind and since the skin on the neck is so delicate, in Perfect Cleavage & Neck Serum we have reduced the levels of fragrance so as not to irritate. 

But for us perfect bodycare isn’t just about product; we have devised science-backed protocols for you to work into your lifestyle that aim to improve your own wellbeing and 
harness the mind-body connection in creating a more compassionate relationship with your body.

Applying Perfect Cleavage & Neck Serum with the accompaniment of breath work and stretching in the morning and evening can help relax tension in the neck and the mind. If you are a jaw grinder at night (1 in 10 of us are!) then massaging perfect cleavage up through the front of the neck and along the jaw and masseter muscle with a Gua sha or your thumbs can help minimise the discomfort felt through the day.

 

Read about our stress relieving breathwork techniques below.

A little further south lies the next zone of our décolleté that requires specific care, the breasts.

Our relationships with our breasts will fluctuate throughout our lives; through adolescence, our menstrual cycle, motherhood, sickness and menopause as they change, grow, shrink, droop, get augmented, ache, produce milk, feel perky or end up in hospital.

Accredited psychotherapist Lauren Baird says “What can be really important for your body is to actually let go of that messaging that your breasts need to look a certain way, need to be pushed up or you need to wear a certain top and actually just focus on being comfortable in your own skin. That might be about actually getting rid of that 15-year old bra and getting one that is comfortable, and supports you, or wearing a T-shirt that helps you feel comfortable and good in your own skin”.

 

Wherever you are at with your breasts – feeling perky, anxious or proud – it’s important to make sure the skin on your chest is well looked after and that you take the time to nurture a compassionate relationship with these very specific parts of your body. Over exposure to UV from sunlight is a hazard come Spring/Summer that leads to increased pigmentation on the cleavage, crepier skin texture and lasting sun damage year-round. Wearing an SPF and staying out of the sun in the middle of the day is always the best advice we can give but employing active ingredients with science-backed self-care protocols can nurture both a healthier skin on your chest and a healthier mind. Regular breast self-care also encourages us to check our breasts for lumps or abnormalities. 

 

Take a moment to massage This Works Perfect Cleavage & Neck Serum into the décolleté each morning and evening. The fast absorbing, rejuvenating serum contains ingredients that protect your skin from daily aggressors, soothing inflammation with Vitamin-C rich Marine Algae and botanicals such as Ginseng. Comfrey Root helps boost cell renewal to provide long lasting hydration and in fact 88% of users said their skin looked visibly smoother, while 85% said they saw an improvement of the appearance of their skin on their chest.

 

be breast aware

 

•    Know what’s normal for you
•    Look at your breasts and feel them
•    Know what changes to look for
•    Report any changes to a GP without delay
•    Attend routine screening if you’re ages 50 to 70