Give back

It’s your most majestic body part! Here’s how to get it in top form.

How to get your most majestic body part in tip top form

onsider your back – the sensual, seductive acreage from the graceful peak of the neck to the provocative curve at the end of your spine. At their best, our backs are stately, broad and capable. This is where you got a hug from your parents after a rough day. It’s where you received a congrats-on-that-promotion clap. It’s where a tentative hand changed your life. And it’s where moments before you walk down the aisle, two tiny graceful straps might crisscross in a way that makes you feel beautiful, formidable and proud.

Our spines are the source of our strength, our nerve, our gumption. When things go bad or hit a slump, we pick ourselves up. We power through. The word for this thing that keeps us driving forward? It’s called a backbone.

You’ve heard it before… posture is important

You want to know how to get a better back? Ask the woman who trained Natalie Portman for Black Swan. “We get fatalistic and think we have a certain body type or ‘bad’ posture, but we can change almost everything,” says Mary Helen Bowers, ballet dancer and founder of the Ballet Beautiful workouts. “Sitting up and with the chest open, pull your stomach in, engaging the muscles by thinking about touching the belly button to the spine.” Do this for a moment or two when you’re at your desk or having a coffee. The cumulative effort is what’s going to change your posture permanently.

Orthopaedic spine surgeon Dr Andrew Sama says another track to a ballerina back is to pinch and hold your shoulder blades together for a few seconds everyday, or, if you’re alone and no one can see you, lift your arms overhead and make snow angels against a wall.

Get a back facial (Yes, it’s a thing!)

Cocktails on Beyoncé’s yacht in a backless gown? First things first. Kat Rudu, a celebrity facialist who treats actresses Kate Beckinsale and Jenna Dewan Tatum, has developed a regimen of ‘facials’ for her celebrity clients’ backs.

She gets rid of bikini lines by giving them an enzyme peel. “It really does get rid of uneven skin tone,” she says. At home, scrub down using a back loofah or an enzyme cleanser. Try [1] Clicks Bamboo Loofah (R69.95). Then clarify

with a mud mask, like [8] Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment (R850), and finish with a vitamin C serum. If you don’t have a house elf to do it for you, enlist a friend. You can’t do it alone.

Argh! B-a-a-a-a-cne!

Your best bet for getting rid of pimples on the back is to go to a pro. Dermatologist’s office devices that emit blue LED light can kill acne-causing bacteria, reduce inflammation and treat large areas “that you can’t reach or spot-treat at home,” says Dr Doris Day, a clinical associate

professor of dermatology. “You can get the whole back in four to six 20-minute sessions. Use a face or body wash with 2% salicylic acid, let it sit for a few minutes then rinse off. TRY [3] La Roche-posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel (R180) and [6] Yardley Oatmeal Blackhead Solution (R92.95).

DIY bronzing

So you’re self-tanning the night before a vacation, and the dead centre of your back is one pale void of out-of-reach skin. What to do? Get clever!

“Get a long-handled wooden spoon, put a tanning mitt on it and tie it with a rubber band,” says self-tan expert Nichola Joss. For the back, Nichola likes fast-absorbing mousses like [4] Caribbean Tan Bronzing Mousse (R99.95) and a mitt like [7] Skinny Tan Tanning Mitt (R129.95). Sweep the handle “up and down, side to side, covering the middle.” Finish “with circular motions around the hip and back area” to blend.

The tricky part, Nichola says, is your spine just above your shoulder blades, which can be poorly blended. She uses a spray formula to fix harsh lines like [5] Australian Gold Instant Sunless Spray (R379.95). “Bend forward, bowing your head, and raise your arm, with the canister up over your back, spraying from side to side. Then, keep your skin hydrated – it helps the tan last. A body cream is great but a boost of antioxidants also help against free radical damage that may have come from the sun. We love [2] Placecol Maximum Hydro Day (R385).