* Individual results may vary. Refer to disclaimer below.
While make-up can disguise tell-tale signs of aging on the face, it’s more difficult with hands – which is why it’s often said that hands are the best indicator of age. he
skin on the back of your hands is much thinner than on your face and actually ages faster than your face.
Even if you have taken steps to keep your face and neck looking youthful, sun-damaged, veiny, wrinkled hands can make you look older than you are. As we age our hands lose volume, fat and elasticity. The fatty layer of the hand disappears, so the skin is more translucent and shriveled, and you see underlying structures like bones, tendons and veins. There are a number of effective techniques to rejuvenate your hands, improving the quality and texture of your skin, while decreasing the wrinkling and prominent veins. A number of options are available to restore the youthful appearance of the hands.
Age Spots
Treatment – Lighter more diffuse brown spots are most responsive with prescription grade skin care product containing hydroquinone. Hydroquinone contains a bleaching agent which blocks melanin. This medical skincare will help quickly lighten those brown spots on your hands. If the brown spots are dark and larger this usually indicates it is deeper in the dermis of the skin. This type needs to be treated with a laser or IPL (intense pulsed light) machine where the pigment is destroyed.
Prominent veins and tendons
Treatment- This is due to volume loss as we age. Volume replacement is used to treat protruding bones, tendons or veins. Your plastic surgeon can take fat extracted during liposuction, concentrate it, and re-inject it into the back your hands. Soft tissue fillers, including Juvederm, Perlane, Restylane and Radiesse, can add volume to thinning hands. Another option is sclerotherapy where solution is injected collapsing the prominent vein.
Wrinkled and thin skin
Treatment – Laser skin resurfacing is an excellent way to improve skin tone and texture, while reducing the signs of aging on the hands. Laser resurfacing removes the outermost layer of skin on the hands, leaving only the healthy cells underneath. These can then regenerate a new layer of skin, reducing the signs of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and other age-related blemishes. Radiofrequency skin tightening devices, such as INFINI are also very useful in improving wrinkled skin on the hands.
Homecare will include daily use of Retin-A, which builds collagen and makes skin look firmer and smoother.
Skin tone and color
Treatment – Chemical peels, IPL, or laser skin resurfacing may be used for skin discoloration, sun damage or soften the appearance of brown sun spots on the hands. Treatment may involve a series of chemical peels or three 10-minute IPL treatments.
While there are many treatments available for aging hands, prevention is always the best bet. Remember that our hands get as much sun as our face so be sure to use sunscreen daily on your hands!
