Bustin' Out!

I was flipping through the May issue of Allure and came across one of their little snippets of information about something near and dear to our hearts: cleavage.

According to Allure, a study was done by a university in Wisconsin to see, as their study was titled, "Does Cleavage Work at Work?". And their answer to this question: "essentially--but not entirely--no."

In the study, men and women viewed four videos of a saleswoman pitching a phony allergy medication. The spokeswomen was either showing off cleavage or completely buttoned up, and she was hyping a product that was either "clearly effective or decidedly weak."

According to the findings in the study, showing off cleavage had no effect on her pitch of the product. Men in the study found that "using cleavage is effective when selling a weak product but counterproductive when selling a strong product."

Hmmm....very interesting!

Whether or not showing cleavage gives us more or less credibility, I'm sure we all show off our girls from time to time. And, if you're like most of us, the skin around your cleavage and neckline might need a little help to look it's best.

Because the skin on our decolletage is thin--much like the skin on the backs of our hands--it is more prone to showing the signs of aging and sun damage. So what can you do to keep your cleavage looking great?

• Avoid the sun! If you go out during the day and have any amount of skin showing, be sure to wear a strong sunblock, one that contains antioxidants to get the most out of your protection. Be sure to reapply your sunblock regularly--the longer you're out under the sun, the greater the risk of damage.
• Don't go to a tanning booth. Ever. I know many people who go, thinking they're getting their much needed Vitamin D. And in getting their "healthy" dose of D, they're also destroying their skin. Why pay to age yourself? The best bet is to stay away.
• Try a microdermabrasion. This will remove all the nasty dead skin cells that dull your skin. Do an at-home microderm treatment regularly (a few times a week) to get your decolletage glowing.
• Seek professional help. A dermatologist can analyze how much sun damage has been done to your skin, and may be able to prescribe Retin-A...a strong, proven anti-ager. They may also recommend a treatment like Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to remove brown spots, or fix blotchy skin.

Now, strap on your favorite push-up and show the world what you've got!