When people are trying to improve the tone and volume of their skin, they often overlook the skin on their hands. It is paramount that one does not exclude proper hand care as it is actually the most telling sign of ageing skin. Below we look at how your hand’s skin is vital for your appearance and what treatments are available to you.
What happens to hand skin?
As we age, the skin on our hands, particularly on the back, begins to thin just like the rest of the body. Unfortunately, the back of the hand is teeming with bones, veins and tendons. Drastic ageing of the skin on the hand will lead to the aforementioned features being prominent through unhealthy-looking thin skin.
Not only does thin skin on the hand contribute to an ageing appearance and look, prolonged and unprotected exposure to the sun can cause brown spots to pop up on her hand also. This happens when the sun’s rays cause pockets of dark brown melanin to pop up all over the back of the hand.
Treatments to counter ageing hands
- Dermal Fillers: Fillers are carefully injected into the back of the hands to restore volume and plumpness. This reduces the ease at which one could see bones, veins and tendons through the skin, making the hands look fresher and younger. The gel-like solution that is injected into the skin also stimulates collagen growth and is absorbed by the body over time. The dermal filler treatment usually takes 30-60 minutes and the recovery time is rapid, with the patient able to return to normal activities straight away. Results usually last for 18 months but can change depending on individual factors such as size of the targeted area, hormonal conditions and extensiveness of the procedure.
- Profilo: Profhilo is used to improve the skin’s tone. It doesn’t restore as much volume as dermal fillers but it does boost collagen and elastin production to hydrate the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and droopy skin. Profhilo encourages the body to restore itself rather than being an instant forced change in the skin’s condition. This is usually a quick 30-minute treatment depending on the targeted area but is usually supplemented by maintenance treatments every 6 months.
- Laser Skin Rejuvenation: This procedure is usually used to reduce brown spots. This treatment uses intense light to treat pigmented skin. The laser breaks down the melanin in the skin that causes brown spots via sun damage. The process targets the pigmented areas and oxidises them. In the immediate aftermath of the treatment, the brown spots will turn darker and darker. In the week following treatment, the dark pigmented areas will flake off leaving you with fresh and even skin. This treatment takes 30-35 minutes and the recovery time is not a hassle either, with patients expected to carry on with normal duties as soon as possible.
DIY treatments to counter ageing hands
- SPF50 Sunscreen: Treating the surface of the skin regularly with SPF50 sunscreen to avoid skin damage. Just because the sun’s out but you’re not feeling the heat, doesn’t mean your skin’s not being affected by the sun’s rays. Keep a pack of SPF50 with you, it never hurts to prevent rather than repair.
- Moisturise: Moisturise to counter crepey and droopy skin. By exfoliating the skin, you can regularly shed dry and dead skin and keep your appearance looking fresh and smooth.
- Bleach Treatment: Melanin age spots on the back of the hand can be treated with over-the-counter topical bleach treatment. This is an at-home alternative to laser skin rejuvenation and can be recommended by a GP after a thorough examination.
- Smoking kills your skin: Furthermore, if you smoke: stop. Cigarette smoking leads to dull, grey, pale and crinkly skin. It is very hard to reverse cigarette damage to the skin so stop before you start noticing the effects on your hand.
Hopefully, we have armed you with the knowledge to not only help prevent ageing skin in order to get younger looking hands, but also provided you with enough information from treatments otherwise. There are a variety of options available to the patient and this will only increase as aesthetic cosmetic technology continues to improve.
