Skincare for Boobs

And we don’t mean for fools… your (.)(.) deserve YOUR attention and ❤️. 

This story ran originally in August 2017, but since our boobs are front and center every day, we thought it was a great time to revisit and re-share. Enjoy. XO

This is not a joke! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the skin on your chest is just as important as the skin everywhere else on your body. So pay attention to your boobs. Here’s how.

(For the sake of inclusivity, we’re going to focus on everything below the neck and above the belly button: collarbones, décolletage, chest proper, boobs, under-boob. It’s all skin, so why ignore it?)

If you’ve got… acne.

“Chestne” is nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone with boobs sweats — we’re human, after all. There’s almost no better body part for acne to flourish than your damp, dark, covered-in-clothing cleavage and underboob. This is especially true if you’re a fitness junkie. Just make sure you’re showering right after a sweat sesh (or at the very least use a cleansing cloth to hold you over until you can).

Post-gym, a body cleanser that contains bacteria-fighting ingredients will be your best friend. Also be sure you’re exfoliating at least once a week. Whether you use a scrub or dry brush is your call, just be careful around the extra-sensitive parts of your chest.

If you’ve got…ingrown hairs.

Nipple hairs are a thing and as such, so too are ingrown nipple hairs. If you’re dealing with an inflamed follicle situation, proceed with caution. Ingrown hairs are tricky enough as is without the added issue of being located on a very sensitive, very thin-skinned part of the body.

So if you need to dig a hair out of the area around your areola, be gentle and do it the right way. Start with clean skin (fresh out of a warm shower is best as the water will soften the skin a bit and open up pores and follicles). Then gently exfoliate the area in question with a dry brush. Soft, circular motions will loosen up any leftover skin cells, making it that much easier to extract the sucker in question.

First, try gently applying pressure to the areas around the hair. You may get lucky and push the tip of the hair through the skin, which means it’s no longer ingrown. (Ingrown hairs are basically ones that curl back into the skin instead of growing straight out.) At that point, pick up a well-cleaned pair of tweezers and gently tug the hair out.

It’s super important that you don’t go digging for the hair with tweezers if it doesn’t surface on its own! Keep applying warm compresses to the area and exfoliating it — eventually the hair will poke through and you can grab it. You can also use retinoids to speed up dead skin cell removal if you’re really in a pinch, but that’s as involved as you should get.

Once the hair is out, be sure to treat the area with a mild antibacterial like tea tree oil or AHA serum.

If you’ve got…dry skin or peeling.

You take excellent care of your face, you slather coconut oil on your legs and arms every night, you even massage salve into your feet when you remember, but what about your chest? The skin on here is some of the thinnest, most sensitive on your body, so it’s incredibly important not to skimp on the moisturizer.

Thin, crepe-y skin like this needs a really, really thick formula to bind water to the skin and trap it in there for good. Look for a moisturizer that contains ingredients like jojoba seed oil or ceramide, both of which work wonders at helping water stay put. And of course, don’t skimp on sunscreen. Any time your chest (any part of it) will see the sun, opt for an SPF that’s 50 or higher. You don’t want to take any chances with your skin, especially the skin on your chest.

Finally — and I promise this is for real — don’t forget about masks. Yes, masks are typically marketed for your face, but skin is skin and a product that will moisturize and hydrate the skin north of your neck will do the same south of it, too.

If you’ve got…stretch marks.

Welcome to the club. Stretch marks are a totally natural, totally normal part of having not just boobs, but a human body that changes on the daily. There’s no cure-all for these babies, but skincare products that contain caffeine or collagen can help temporarily. When applied topically — like through a serum — it can help energize blood cell and blood flow, temporarily firming up the skin. And adding more collagen to your diet can help with skin’s flexibility and resilience, meaning it’ll be less prone to additional stretch marks. Add it to coffee, eat it, drink it in water…collagen will go a long way in ensuring the health of your skin all over.

And of course, moisturize the heck out of your chest. When it comes to stretch marks, the more hydrated your skin is, the more pliable it is, which means its capacity to stretch and then bounce back to fighting shape is increased. Get comfortable with the fact that you’ll be massaging your chest every day: the practice will improve circulation and encourage new tissue growth, both of which combat stretch marks.

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I think you guys should make a hat or a shirt with that boob illustration! I would totally buy it!

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

6 years ago

Such a great post, thanks! x

Bonnie
6 years ago

Not only while you’re moisturizing, always check for breast cancer! Accomplishing two very important things at the same time!

S. Moriarty
6 years ago

Being a frequent shopper at Free People,
I find it offensive of the vernacular you’re choosing to use on you blog…
i.e. “ boobs”, and the other descriptive words used in the article. Being a woman and a Nurse, I have a lot of contact with said
body parts, but the usage is not necessary in every day conversation. Free People used to be an upstanding establishment. It seems that with all of the recent changes that have taken place, it has lowered its standards. I was very disheartened to open my mail and see “ boobs” staring me in the face., and the other chosen verbiage.This world
is on a downward spiral with all of the immoral acts taking place. I was hoping that my favorite store would maintain its integrity. I am greatly disappointed.

S. Moriarty

Una
3 years ago
Reply to  S. Moriarty

There is nothing “immoral” about the female anatomy, and addressing it in colloquial, familiar terms does not detract from Free People’s status as a moral and upstanding company. It’s disappointing that someone would seek to censor a helpful blog post from a company that interacts with its followers on a personal level. This seems like an issue that is specific to you, and does not need to be projected. I am happy to see Free People sharing useful information on its platform and look forward to more body-positive, genuine posts.

Shadowflower
3 years ago
Reply to  S. Moriarty

I find it interesting that someone who is a “nurse”. therefore working with the human body on a daily basis would find talking about a normal body part offensive and immoral? The human body is a beautiful miracle that should be honoured and celebrated, not shamed and hijacked for religious or political agendas. The female breasts are beautiful, and elegant and provide life and nourishment to new born babies. What a wonder they are = )

Ann
6 years ago

First of all, thanks for a super post.
Secondly, using the term “boobs” is a great way to de-mystify a part of the body which tends to be neglected until we start trying on bras, dresses and tops. And like another reader noted, daily moisturizing is important in order to make sure there are no bumps building in the tissue. Maybe using a personal term like “boobs” will make it easier to remember paying more attention?

3 years ago

Boobs half the world’s got ’em, the other half can’t stop staring at them. But what men don’t know about breasts is all the trouble they cause. Thank you for sharing this! This is very helpful to me.