The telltale signs of aging not only includes wrinkles on your face, gray hair, aches and pains, depleting hormones, a foggy memory, etc…but also older looking hands.
As we are trying to age gracefully, the hands are often a give-away of our true age.
Often hands tell signs of aging by skin that doesn’t bounce back when pinched, uneven skin tone and spots, and bony prominence.
Here are 5 tips that can help maintain and revive younger looking hands.
#1 Start Early
Your hands are the first part of your body to show signs of aging as they are always exposed to the environment. It’s never too early to start prevention and to protect and nourish them. Most people don’t recognize the signs of aging such as sun spots on their hands until they appear in the mid 30’s or 40’s. Start early to prevent these signs!
#2 Sun protection is the #1 way to prevent damage and is the most important.
By using a broad-spectrum sunscreen you’ll cover UVA rays and prevent aging signs like brown spots and collagen breakdown. Eclipse spf 50 is a great water resistant choice.
#3 Keep your hands hydrated
Keeping your hands well moisturized, particularly overnight (when you are not washing or exposing them). This will help keep the skin on your hands looking healthy and glowing. If you’re prone to hand dermatitis (redness, peeling, cracking skin), try to minimize prolonged contact with water, frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer gels. SHEALD Recovery Balm by iS Clinical is amazing for peeling, cracking skin. It is a moisture-rich formula that dramatically replenishes hydration to dry, sensitive or compromised skin.
#4 Use the right products to repair
There are many products out there to help even skin tone and to increase collagen and elasticity in your skin. Often times, we recommend to our patients to use their medical grade skincare they are already using for their face on their hands too. Products such as Revisions Vitamin C lotion and iS Clinical’s White Lightening Complex are great choices and are effective to lighten and brighten the skin on the hands as well as plump thin skin with hyaluronic acid. To be the most effective, products should be applied to be on the skin for several hours without hand washing.
#5 Explore options for cosmetic procedures
Volume loss in the hands is troublesome for many patients as prominent veins and ligaments are more visible. This can be easily replenished with injectable fillers such as Radiesse or Bellafill, which replace lost subcutaneous fat. Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatments can also be used to stimulate collagen (thickening skin) and to remove brown/sun spots.
A quick consultation is important to determine which products or procedures might be best for you and your lifestyle.