Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

Chest Wrinkles But Not Into Cosmetic Procedures — What I Would Do At-Home As a Dermatologist

24 Sept 2026 · 2 min

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1:54

In this video, dermatologist Shereene Idriss explains practical, non‑procedural steps anyone can take at home to prevent and improve sleep‑line wrinkles on the chest. She starts by recommending sleeping on the back to avoid side‑sleep compression that deepens lines, then outlines a six‑point regimen: (1) use topical retinoids to boost collagen turnover and resilience; (2) apply glycolic acid as a chemical exfoliant that also promotes collagen and acts as a humectant; (3) keep the chest well‑hydrated with a suitable moisturizer because the area has fewer oil glands; (4) employ silicone patches temporarily to occlude the skin and reduce folding; (5) consistently wear broad‑spectrum sunscreen on the chest, neck, and décolletage to prevent UV‑induced damage; and (6) recognize that these measures are only effective when combined. Throughout, she emphasizes that while these at‑home methods are not a substitute for professional procedures, they can meaningfully slow the appearance of chest wrinkles when followed diligently.

Chapters

If you have sleep lines on your chest but in-office procedures are just out of the question, here's what you can do for yourself at home, starting with sleep on your back. Now this sounds obvious, but sleep lines are because you are probably a side sleeper, and when you are sleeping on your side, you are compressing your chest. Therefore, the lines get deeper over time. If you are able to change how you sleep while you are asleep, then more power to you. I have tried, but I find myself not sleeping at all And not sleeping will age you faster than the sleep lines on your chest. Number 2, retinoids. Everything you're doing for your face can be brought down to your neck and chest and down to your tits. Retinoids are going to help with your collagen turnover, help your skin be more resilient, to help to minimize the look of fine lines. Number 3, glycolic acid. We need to start exfoliating our chest with a chemical exfoliant, and glycolic acid is the king over here because it is not only going to help to get rid of the dead skin cells, it is going to help with collagen production over time, and it also works beautifully as a humectant, so it's going to hold on to hydration, which can minimize the appearance of those deeper lines. Number 4, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and do not underestimate this one. Because your chest has less oil glands than your face, the look of any sort of fine line or deeper line can become much more apparent, and finding a good moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated will make it look more plump, and therefore those lines will be less evident. 5, silicone patches. Now, this is going to help to temporarily block your skin from folding, but it's also going to create an occlusive environment, so your skin is going to better trap hydration. The keyword here is that it is temporary and it is not helping your skin to promote its own collagen production like a fat transfer would. And number 6, all of this is pretty damn useless unless of course you're wearing the damn sunscreen and protecting your skin from further UV damage. So when we wear sunscreen, we protect our face, neck, and chest down to the tatas, because otherwise what exactly are you trying to achieve if you're not protecting your biggest investment, yourself?