Skin Care from the Neck Down

In this article:
Body care starts with sunscreen
Body exfoliation: the step everyone can benefit from
Underarm care routine
Powerful body care ingredients
Body blemishes

When it comes to skin care, people tend to put more emphasis on their face than on the rest of their body. In fact, many of us fall into the trap of completely neglecting skin from the neck down, at least until something goes visibly wrong. The problem? Sooner or later that neglect catches up to us in the form of dull, uneven tone, leathery/crepey texture, loss of firmness, and other body skin concerns that could have been easily prevented or treated. The good news is adding body care to your routine doesn’t have to take much time or effort.

Below, we compile research-backed solutions for tackling your top body skin concerns from bumps and breakouts to reducing hyperpigmentation (including dotted discolouration) and warding off signs of aging, such as crepey skin.

Body care starts with sunscreen

Sun damage creates and amplifies many of the body skin concerns we face. If you’re not diligent about sun protection, visible signs eventually show up in the form of dark spots, loss of firmness, etched lines, dull tone, and rough texture on exposed areas (1). It’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon— sunscreen is one of the most effective ways to ward off further signs of aging and more importantly, reduce the risk of skin cancer (2).

Our suggestion: Find a lightweight body sunscreen that dries down quickly with a non-greasy finish to minimise the chances of it rubbing off on your clothes. It should contain beneficial ingredients like antioxidants to deliver an extra boost of defence against environmental stressors. Antioxidants also deliver anti-aging properties to help skin visibly recover from UV exposure.

Body exfoliation: the step everyone can benefit from

Built-up dead skin on the body can create a number of issues, including skin that looks lackluster, rough textured, or riddled with clogged pores and bumps. Most people don’t even realise this dead layer of skin is there until they experience how exfoliation reveals the fresher-looking, smoother skin hiding underneath… but harsh scrubs aren’t the answer. Instead opt for a hydroxy acid-based lotion that gently yet effectively exfoliates, softens skin, improves smoothness, and enhances hydration.

Both alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and beta hydroxy acid (BHA) body treatments work great in this regard—pick based on your top concerns:

• Visibly rough, flaky, dry skin? Signs of sun damage? An AHA body lotion is the way to go.
• Bumpy texture or clogged pores? Signs of post-blemish marks? Ingrown hairs? A BHA body treatment is the ideal choice, as its oil-soluble nature penetrates deeper to eliminate congestion within pores/the follicular lining and alleviates redness. BHA is even suitable for skin prone to keratosis pilaris (aka “chicken skin”).

Underarm care routine

All year round, but especially in summer, the underarm area can be a major area of focus for those who want to go sleeveless. Thankfully, there are several underarm-area concerns that can be addressed with your at-home body care routine.

• Dark underarms: For many people, the area of the skin under arms can be a darker colour than the rest of their skin, creating the effect of a shadow. While there are many possible reasons for this colour difference, using a body serum with niacinamide can help. Niacinamide targets multiple causes of discolourations, helps even tone and keeps skin soft and smooth.
• Clogged armpit pores: Shaving armpits can incur the same issues that arise from shaving other areas of your body, mainly clogged pores, ingrown hairs and overall bumpy texture. As with those other areas, using a product containing BHA can alleviate clogs in pores and help soothe post-shaving redness. Choose a texture which works best for you – lotion, liquid or gel - and apply after you towel down post-shower (be sure to make sure this product is dry before applying deodorant!).
• Underarm odor: Aside from the obvious solutions of washing the armpit area regularly and applying a deodorant/antiperspirant, did you know that certain skin care products can help alleviate armpit odor and sweat? An AHA exfoliant featuring mandelic and lactic acids is not only gentle enough to exfoliate delicate underarm skin and help prevent dry skin under arms – lactic acid helps in the process of keeping a compound called pyruvate properly metabolised (3). This process reduces the formation of acetic acid, one of the components of human body odor. Win-win!

Powerful body care ingredients

The same powerful ingredients that have been proven to target concerns on facial skin work just as well on body skin. Here are top options to choose from based on your body skin concerns:

• If your goal is to brighten dull, sallow skin, and/or minimise signs of uneven tone on arms, legs, chest, etc., try a niacinamide body serum. Niacinamide also supports skin’s barrier, making it more resilient and healthier in appearance.
• If you want to tackle several signs of aging skin from the neck down all at once, a retinol body treatment is the way to go. Retinol rejuvenates the feeling of firmer skin while improving the appearance of wrinkled, leathery skin.
• If your skin has become more crepey, inelastic, and thinner in volume (skin changes associated with estrogen deficiency), adding a non-hormonal phytoestrogen body treatment can make an impactful difference within a few months (4). Look for soy-derived ingredients like equol, genistein and daidzein and other antioxidants like resveratrol to give skin a plumper, suppler feel and often-dramatic improvement in crepe-like texture.

Body blemishes

Body blemishes deserve their own section. Anyone who has struggled with blemishes on their back, neck, thighs, chest, or butt knows all too well how frustrating and stubborn these blemishes are. Whether on the face or the body, blemishes respond to the same key active ingredients to treat the problem. However, in some cases a different delivery system can be beneficial to target the hard-to-reach areas on the body.

Here’s how to nip body breakouts in the bud:

• Cleanse skin with a gentle, soap-free, fragrance-free body wash (fragrance is a known skin irritant, whether natural or synthetic).
• Apply BHA (also known as salicylic acid) to decongest breakout-prone areas. We recommend a 2% salicylic acid body spray with a 360-degree nozzle that you can hold upside down to access every part of your back and other hard-to-reach areas.
• Finish with a benzoyl peroxide treatment to target root triggers of blemishes. Abundant research shows that benzoyl peroxide prevents future blemishes and reduces stubborn blemishes, wherever they lurks on your body.

Also, let’s make sure you’re not currently using products that make body breakouts worse:

• Avoid bar soaps. The ingredients in bar cleansers can clog pores, dry the skin and worsen redness.
• Don’t use abrasive body scrubs or loofahs. Blemishes cannot be scrubbed away and is not caused by skin being dirty; using abrasive products will only serve to aggravate it more.
• Be careful with heavy, thick hair conditioners that may leave residue on skin. Make sure you’re adequately rinsing the product off and washing the areas of skin that your hair conditioner comes into contact with.

Learn more about body care.

References for this information:

1. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, January 2013, pages 16-26; and June 2011, pages 45-55
2. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, August 2012, Page 19-24
3. PNAS, August 2017, ePublication
4. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, June 2019, pages 85–90
5. Dermatology, May 2014, pages 314-325
6. Journal of European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology, September 2016, pages 1480-1490; and August 2006, pages 781-7