There’s been a lot of boob talk in my world lately. Larger breasted friends talking about boob reductions. If you’ve ever been, or are, part of the small boob club, insert eye roll when hearing the problems of the big-chested. To add to these conversations, now it’s October and it’s breast cancer awareness month, so boobs are on the brain!
Most of my life I’ve had small breasts. An A. I think a lot of small-breasted women can relate to the issues of not having “the girls”. For me, I didn’t feel very womanly. Bras fit strangely — even A cups would gape out a little, making bra lines more visible under clothes. And I couldn’t wear strapless tops unless they were so tight they dug into my skin: nothing to hold it up! So! At 37, I had a breast augmentation. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty much the most awesome thing I did. For me, it just really made me happy and feel more proportionate, and yes, more feminine. Bras fit, I can wear strapless tops — well, my boyfriend doesn’t want me to, but the point is I physically can!
But, with larger breasts come a different set of issues. The issue of the day for this blog is boob creases, or creases on the chest caused mainly from breasts being pushed together during sleep, or just from wearing a bra, especially a push-up bra.
This is one of those problems that I did not have as an A cup. But recently I looked in the mirror and traced a line that went from my collar bone to my sternum and I thought, Gosh I must really be dehydrated. Mental note: drink more water. I’ve also thought, Wow! My skin is dry! I need to moisturize more. Or, I must have slept really hard in one position to make a crease like that.
Nope. Those creases aren’t going away with water or lotion. They are boob creases and they’re here to stay.
Or are they? While water and lotion won’t diminish your creases, there are several procedures that can: skin tightening, micro-needling, and dermal fillers.
You probably know how creases and wrinkles form: it’s the trifecta: sun damage, age, and environmental toxins that all combine to cause collagen to diminish, resulting in loss of skin elasticity and structure. (And by the way, isn't trifecta just an awesome word?) Another habit that makes those boob creases appear even faster is that many of us lie on our sides while we sleep, which of course means we spend 8 or so hours with them squashed together (or 5 hours, for those of you overachievers).
Here are three possible fixes for your chest creases:
Skin tightening: We use Refirme for skin tightening, which is a non-invasive, non-surgical technology that will tighten your skin and reduce your wrinkles. This is the least aggressive treatment for chest creases but can help if your lines are fairly superficial. This treatment uses combined energies (radio frequency and light energy) to precisely heat dermal tissue within the targeted treatment area. This stimulates collagen production which produces a firming effect in the laxed area of skin. Fine wrinkles are reduced with noticeable lifting; this can be observed as the texture of your skin becomes more smooth and elastic. It is gentle so it can be used on any color skin.
Micro-needling (or Collagen Induction Therapy): Micro-needling is an innovative way to treat fine lines, deep wrinkles, photo damage, acne scars, stretch marks, and improve the overall appearance of your skin. In the past, micro-needling has been done with a dermal roller: basically needles attached to a plastic roller. There are more advanced tools now, like Dermapen, that are much more precise and effective. The treatment involves having a numbing cream applied to the treatment area so little to no pain is felt. The Dermapen, which has a tip made of tiny micro-needles, will be moved over your treatment area in a gliding motion, creating thousands of precise micro-injuries in the skin. This leads to the release of grown factors, which stimulate new healthy collagen, and directs new blood flow to the treated skin. The result is improved collagen growth, skin texture and structure, a reduction in wrinkles and other skin issues (like scarring, stretch marks, and brown spots).
Some advantages of micro-needling: little to no downtime, extremely high absorption of any active ingredients (products may be used during the treatment), almost all skin types can be treated, and the collagen stimulation helps build structure in the dermis (the deeper skin layer) without damaging or removing epidermis (the outermost skin layer).
The process of skin renewal and collagen production continues for several weeks or months after each treatment, but visible changes can be seen within one week. You will see definite improvement in your skin with several treatments. Skin rejuvenation takes time, but you will notice an immediate plumping and glow following your first micro-needling treatment.
Dermal fillers: This is the most effective and longest lasting treatment for chest creases. Just like with the creases and wrinkles on your face and neck, dermal fillers can be used to smooth the skin on the chest. The skin is thin on the chest, so a delicate dermal filler is required for this area. Belotero Balance, with its ultra fine structure, is perfect for filling in the lines and little crevices on the chest. Like most dermal fillers, Belotero is made of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring lubricant found in your joints, eyes and connective tissue. Hyaluronic acid rejuvenates skin quality by adding volume and structure, providing a smooth appearance. A numbing cream is applied before injections so there is little to no pain during the procedure. Injections are fairly superficial in this area because the skin is thin and the creases are often fairly shallow. Results are immediate and long lasting, up to one year.
Before and After dermal filler for chest creases:
