If you actually want to know a woman’s age, just look at her hands. The hands are typically one of the first regions of the body that show signs of old age. They are extremely visible in virtually everything we do in daily life. This is why it’s ironic that the hands are usually neglected, with patients preferring to focus their anti-aging efforts on their face, neck, chest, or legs.
Hand aging is typified by a loss of tissue volume and elasticity of the skin, which can increase the visibility of tendons, veins, and bones on the back of the hand. In addition, years of exposure to UV rays and other free radicals cause the skin on the hands to appear spotted, dull, wrinkled, and/or creepy.
Don’t despair! There are several ways to address hand aging. Here are Hand Rejuvenation treatment options grouped by the specific aging symptom they focus on:
Aging Symptom: Sun Damage / Lackluster Appearance / Roughness
The tone and texture of the hands can deplete, due to years of continuous exposure to the various elements like radiation from the sun, unforgiving winter temperatures, or pollution. Most individuals will begin to notice the accumulation of sun spots and sun damage as early as their late 30s. The skin along the back of the hands can also being to appear dull and be rough to the touch.
Optimal Treatments
Chemical Hand Peel: Chemical Peels are an excellent way to lighten sun spots and refresh the skin. Peels are topically applied formulas that invigorate the skin surface by creating an even, controlled sloughing of the skin cells. This enables new layers to be exposed, resulting in a fresh appearance and smoother texture to the skin surface.
IPL Photofacial: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Photofacial treatments use clear-cut amounts of visible light to effectively treat pigmentation and sun damage. IPL can effectively treat red/brown color and improve sun-damaged skin.
Aging Symptom: Bony Hands (Loss of Volume)
Typical aging causes the fat and other tissue below the skin to diminish. This volume loss causes skeleton-looking hands as the bones and tendons of the hand protrude become more prominent. The only way to augment volume loss is to replace it.
Optimal Treatment
Dermal Fillers: Dermal Fillers like Restylane® or Radiesse® can instantly replace volume back into the hands, masking tendons and bones in the back of the hands. These fillers are FDA-approved for effectually and safely adding lost volume to the hands. The procedure is virtually painless, requires no downtime, and results last for up to 1 year.
Aging Symptom: Bulging Veins
The typical aging process causes the loss of camouflaging tissue and the darkening of the veins. This results in another common characteristic of “granny hands”: the appearance of unattractive Spider Veins.
Optimal Treatment
Sclerotherapy: Sclerotherapy is a simple, non-surgical treatment that causes hand veins to quickly disappear. Sclerotherapy uses a sclerosing solution that is injected into clearly visible hand veins, causing them to close. Without the flow of blood, the vein gradually fades. Sclerotherapy is also very safe since it only eliminates non-functioning veins.