From age spots to raised tendons to dry skin, nothing gives away our age more than the condition of our hands.
When you consider daily abuse from sun exposure, UV nail lamps and chemicals in lotions, soaps and cleaning agents—added to the normal hormonal changes that come with aging—you realize that our hands truly take a beating. The skincare aisle of your local pharmacy or grocery store is overflowing with products that promise to return your hands to their former glow, while in-office treatments have become more advanced than ever.
Ultimately the degree of damage to your hands, along with your skincare goals, will determine the treatment best suited for you.
In office procedures:
• Laser Therapy: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is regarded as the best treatment for ensuring the gradual reduction of age and sun spots in the least amount of time. A handheld laser is passed over your hands for 30 to 45 minutes and stimulates the growth of new collagen while lightening the skin darkened by age spots. If you aim to avoid needles at all costs, then this is the treatment for you!
• Microneedling: This is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that involves using tiny needles that stimulate the production of collagen. With a proper microneedling procedure, the skin on the hands shows fewer wrinkles and fine lines. As your collagen rebuilds, a natural plumping takes place.
• Dermal Fillers: Through the injection of these specially designed ingredients, the skin can become more full and attractive.
• Fat Grafting: Reduce, reuse and recycle is the standard we all live by, so why not have that same attitude towards your own body! Using your own fat taken from another area of the body and injected into your hands, this procedure is the most natural and offers long-lasting results.
A simple in office procedure, dermal fillers give your hand a rejuvenating boost to restore volume and smooth lines. ANZHELIKA VOLOSHYNA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
In home options:
• Prescription creams: In mobile phone technology, there is an app for that. For dermatology, there is a cream for that. There are countless options at your local pharmacy or grocery store, but one thing is a constant: Anti-aging hand creams all contain retinol, a vitamin that triggers collagen growth wherever applied.
• Sunscreen: Here’s another gold standard for skin protection. Sunscreen is, of course, a preventative measure for an afternoon at the beach. But exposure to the sun is a day-to-day reality, so adding sunscreen into your daily skin regime can really pay off. There are a variety of hand cream products on the market with SPF included.
• SPF Gloves: Wear fingerless gloves that contain SPF on sunny days. Purchase a pair, and leave them in your car, so they will always be handy.
Whether seeking treatment at a doctor’s office or finding a remedy on the retail shelf, these are ways you can “turn back the hands of time” and defy the aging process.
By Amy Zimmer