Hand Treatments: Aging Can Be A Handful

Whenever someone says to guess their age – where do we start looking for signs? Look at their hands. According to a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), people can accurately tell a person’s age by looking at only their hands. Many of us spend the time, effort and money on keeping our skin health in tip top condition and focus on only the face. However, the hands are our second face when it comes to aging and more focus should be given to hand treatments.

Our hands also go through the same skin issues as our faces. Aging causes a loss of fat, tissue and laxity on our faces and body. The skin of the back of our hands in thinner than our face and other parts of our body, and this makes it susceptible to wrinkles and sun damage. There are also less fats and fewer sebaceous glands in the skin on the back of our hands compared to the face. As sebaceous glands produce sebum to protect the skin by keeping it lubricated and prevent moisture loss, this causes the hands to be more prone to dryness.

In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak has made hand sanitizers a norm as they help to kill the germs and viruses on our hands. Frequent hand washing is required and hand sanitizers are used there are no washing facilities nearby when we are out.  Frequent contact with water alone can dry out the skin, frequent contact with hand sanitizer and wipes which contains alcohol can further damage the natural protection and repair systems of the skin and this can result in damage to the skin’s barrier function.

Causes of aging of the hands:

• Sun exposure

As many people may know that sun exposure can lead to brown sun spots, hyperpigmentation, thinning of the skin and wrinkles. Applying sunblock helps to protect the skin from the photo damage caused by the sun. However, most people neglect or forget the hands when applying sunblock. Even though it is not done intentionally, but this careless action clearly contributed to cumulative aging effects on the hands. UV rays aren’t the only reason your hands might be looking older than your face.

• Routine daily habit

Frequent hand washing, doing the dishes, cleaning with certain chemicals and forgetting to apply hand cream can seriously dry out your hands.

• Medication or genetics

Certain medications, medical conditions or hereditary factors can also be responsible for thinning skin on your hands.

• Aging

As you age, the elasticity of the skin on your hands as well as the abundance of collagen begins to dissipate, making the skin on your hands look and feel more fragile, wrinkly and aged.

Treating Aging Hands

While our hands may give our age away, the great news is that there are remedies to help to improve the appearance of your hands. Here are some non-invasive and minimally invasive methods for hand rejuvenation:

• Topical creams

Commit to using a hand cream – depending on how often you wash your hands, apply hand cream after washing hands or whenever they feel dry. During the day, a hand cream with SPF may be great for blocking out UV rays that cause aging. Use a richer hand cream at night before going to bed.

• Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are an excellent way of getting fast results on hand rejuvenation. Chemical peels remove the superficial layers of dead skin and stimulate the skin to produce new collagen. The new skin will become smoother in texture and appear to be less wrinkled.

• Lasers

For those who are afraid of needles, lasers such as fractional CO2 laser can also help to stimulate deep collagen regeneration. However, it may require a few sessions for better results. For pigmentations on the hand, lasers such as Excel V Laser, Discovery Pico Laser and Dual Yellow Laser can help to lighten and reduce the appearance of age spots on the hands and arms.

• Dermal Fillers

If your hands are boney, with veins and tendons that are visibly obvious, then it’s advisable to inject dermal fillers in the hands.  Hand fillers is a relatively easy treatment with minimal pain, and give good results.  Dermal fillers such as Radiesse and Restylane Vital helps to restore volume loss in the back of hands, creating a soft, smooth and natural look that last. Small amounts are injected into areas between tendons where a loss of volume occurs, and then massaged in the hand to ensure even placement.

• Profhilo

Profhilo is the first BDDE-free pure/stabilised injectable hyaluronic acid (HA) for treating skin laxity by stimulating collagen and elastin within the skin. It has one of the highest concentrations of HA available in the market (64mg / 2ml) combining high and low molecular HA. Profhilo is delivered by injecting just underneath the skin’s surface at strategic injection points which spreads across the treatment area blending smoothly into the skin, creating the desired results. It is this collagen stimulation that results in significant improvement of the skins tissue quality, resulting in a more hydrated, and plumped appearance.

Our Hands Could Use More Attention

Think about it, we use our hands so often every day – washing dishes, writing, typing, and of course putting on serums and creams on our face. After the face, our hands are the next most telling sign of one’s age. Rejuvenating the face can be conflicting to wrinkly, dry hands that do not match the face. So why not pay as much attention to your hands as you would your face? The good news is that there are many ways to restore the skin on your hands. Give your hands the gift of youthful elasticity so that the next time they guess your age, their guesses would always be a compliment!

To find out more about our body treatments, please contact the doctor or therapist at Ageless Medical.

Ageless Medical
Tel ☎️: +65 6734 4007
WhatsApp (Call/Message) : +65 8181 0680
Email 📧: enquiry@iamageless.com.sg