These Are The Most Important Places To Moisturize That You're Probably Missing
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You moisturize your face and hands religiously. And sure, we all have a body lotion handy when our legs and arms are feeling extra dry. But what about the rest of your body? Do we really need to be moisturizing ourselves from head to toe?
When you consider that our skin's function is to protect our organs and act as a barrier from harmful substances and physical injury, it makes sense to do what we can to maintain our skin's strength and resilience (per CliniMed). Next to sun protection, one of the best ways to strengthen our skin's barrier is by moisturizing with products that contain ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, says Healthline. Plus, keeping your skin moisturized is one of the easiest ways to plump skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, even if it's only temporary (per Mayo Clinic).
There's a reason that hand creams and facial moisturizers are popular: it's because our hands and faces are constantly exposed and need extra care. But that doesn't mean we can ignore the rest of our skin. Here are four other important places to moisturize that you're probably missing.
Neck
The neck is one of the first places on the body to show signs of aging. And according to The Plum, it ages even faster than your face because the skin in this area is thinner, often ignored, and frequently exposed to the sun. Technology is also constantly pulling our eyes towards our phones and creasing our necks, leaving fine horizontal wrinkles to form over time. These lines in the skin are commonly referred to as "tech neck." So, why stop your skincare routine at the jawline?
The solution is treating your neck as an extension of your face. Since our necks need the extra TLC, we can treat them as part of the face rather than the body. Add a little more product to your facial skincare application and sweep serums, SPFs, and moisturizers down your neck and towards your décolletage. There are certainly neck-specific creams available for your neck skincare routine, but starting with the same products you use on your face is a fantastic start to caring for your neck (per Renee Rouleau).
Chest
The next stop down the torso is your chest, another susceptible part of the body, especially since it sees so much sun. Summer wardrobes, like bikinis and tank tops, directly expose our chests to UV rays. In addition, skin thickness varies throughout your body, with our faces and chests being the thinnest areas (via Mask Skincare).
Even considering all these factors, our décolletage is often neglected in our skincare regimen. Again, leaving us wondering why we stop our skincare routines at our face when we could be sweeping our moisturizer and serums down past our collarbones? It seems so simple! And after all, who wants a perfectly plump face and a saggy chest? As we described with our necks, since the skin in these areas is so similar, we should treat them the same.
If deep V-necks are a must, then a daily sunscreen application is key to keeping the chest free from wrinkles and sunspots, says The Healthy. And to avoid a sagging, crepey chest, start a routine in your 20s that includes antioxidant-rich products and a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid.
Knees
You may be great at hydrating your elbows and moisturizing them first thing once the weather gets dry. But what about your knees? Both areas of the body are similar in that they consist of mostly bone and tendons and lack muscle and fat to support and plump up the surrounding skin (per The Healthy).
Our knees are also constantly on the move, meaning the skin along the joint is always stretching back and forth. According to skincare brand Voesh, no body part other than our elbows moves this frequently. As we get older, the amount of collagen and elastin we produce decreases, leading to saggy knees. So, just as we care for these overworked joints with adequate nutrition and supplements, we should also pay attention to the skin.
The Healthy recommends a salicylic acid-infused lotion, like CeraVe SA Cream, to moisturize and smooth the rough skin on our knees.
Ears
Probably the most surprising body part that needs moisture are your ears, more specifically your earlobes. When you think about it, the ears are constantly exposed to the elements: wind, sun, and the pollution in our air. We don't often cover them, apart from hats and earmuffs in the winter. Our ears reveal quite a bit about our health because sensitive nerve endings and lymph nodes surround them (via Medical News Today). All of this means that our ears require adequate protection and care as well.
First off, don't forget to apply SPF to the tops and backs of your ears and your earlobes. Due to the almost constant exposure, your ears are at significant risk of skin cancer, says this study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. If you're suffering from eczema, try an occlusive moisturizer like Vaseline or Aquaphor that protect and prevent moisture loss (per Cleveland Clinic). For typical dry skin protection, almost any fragrance-free lotion will work on your earlobes as well.
Underarms
It may sound strange that our underarms need moisturizing since they are inherently damp. And it's true, this area of the body doesn't need to be moisturized daily, like our face and hands. However, our underarms can also be susceptible to dry skin, especially in dry climates and in the winter (per Vogue).
Dry and irritated armpits can be seriously uncomfortable. Rough fabrics, strong antiperspirants, bathing, and even genetics can disrupt the harmony of your underarms, says Beauty Answered. The online beauty source first suggests switching to a natural deodorant or cornstarch.
The next step is proper cleansing and hydrating of the area. Dr. Alicia Zalka, dermatologist and founder of Surface Deep, explains to Vogue that our armpits have a delicate microbiome that needs to be approached carefully. Wash your underarms no more than once daily with a pH-balanced cleanser, then shave (if it's your preference) with a moisturizing shave cream. Once or twice a week after bathing, apply a pH-balanced moisturizer to the area as well. Believe it or not, there are underarm specific moisturizers like PiperWai Underarm Oil that "soothe, neutralize and revitalize your pits." You truly learn something new every day!