Most of us have heard the saying, “You can tell a woman’s age by her hands.”  The older we get, the more we understand what this means.  Changing hands are a result of a combination of factors including age, sun exposure and weight.

As we age, our skin thins.  The fatty layer that supports the upper layers of skin can lose volume and the collagen and elastin that form the building blocks of our skin become less plentiful.  Thinning skin combined with the loss of collagen and elastin leads to the appearance of pesky age spots (also called liver spots or sun spots). Q-Switched YAG lasers are an excellent answer to this common problem by resolving pigmentation as well as improving skin texture.  These treatments are safe for all skin types and have no downtime involved.

However, what can we do for our hands when we’ve lost volume?  As volume is lost the hands start to show "ropey" looking veins and protruding ligaments.  In addition, the voids between veins and ligaments become hollowed.  Although lasers are great for getting rid of age spots, they are not so good at restoring volume.   This is where dermal fillers come in.  Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and other dermal fillers can have an immediate effect on making hands look younger.  By plumping the hands, filling voids and make the veins and ligaments less noticeable, we are able to turn back the clock on aging hands. 

Until recently, we had not been impressed with the techniques and products that were being promoted for injection hand rejuvenation.  We have since found a much better way to use our dermal fillers (hyaluronic acids such as Juvederm, Restylane) to create a less expensive but still dramatic solution for the problem of aging hands.  Injection benefits are immediate and outcomes continue to improve over a two week period.  Results typically last for a minimum of six months.

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer

Most of us are familar with the saying, "You can tell a woman's age by her hands."  This is mostly attributed to the fact that women usually do not hesitate to take measures to care for their face with the use of skin care products, treatments, cosmetics and such.  Oftentimes, the hands (and even the chest area) are overlooked.  Many do not know that there are options for the hand rejuvenation other than using good moisturizers.

So what makes the hands show their age?  Loss of subcutaneous tissue as we age causes the hands to reveal the bony structure or veins become more apparent, bulging, and ropey.  Years of sun exposure will now show a roughened texture to the skin, and brown spots (sun spots, solar lengtigines, seborrheic keratosis) become more numerous.  It is not unusual for these conditions to being appearing rather rapidly.  We often hear women saying, "Why is this all happening now?"  Unfortunately, years of bad skin care habits, genetics, aging, all catch up with us at some point.   Hand rejuvenation is the process of reversing the common signs of aging hands.

For the loss of volume in the hands, we use dermal fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane to minimize the "ropey" looked caused by thinning skin on the back of the hands.  Treating voids between veins and ligaments on the back of the hands is a job for dermal fillers rather than lasers.  Dermal fillers have an immediate impact on making hands look younger by creating a fuller look that hides ropey looking veins.  Injection benefits are immediate and continue to improve over a two week period.  Results typically last for a minimum of six months.  

When applying moisturizer and sunscreen to the face don't forget the chest and hands!