The Lowdown on Hand Rejuvenation

9 Techniques for Better Looking Hands

Where are signs of aging likely to appear first? The neck? The face? The ears? Try the hands. In fact, hands are not only more susceptible to initial signs of aging, but oftentimes they age faster than other areas. This makes sense considering how often hands are used — and abused. Just think of how many times a day you wash your hands, and how often they’re exposed to the sun and elements. Because hands have very little fat, the disintegration of even a small amount of collagen or elastin fibers has a noticeable impact on their appearance. Wrinkly, crinkly skin texture, age spots, bulging veins – all are tell-tale signs of aging hands. But fear not; there’s a wide range of treatments available to enhance your hands’ appearance. Let’s take an in-depth look at the top nine hand rejuvenation techniques currently available.

Prescription Strength Skincare

Topical ointments and moisturizers such as Retin-A and other creams containing growth-factors can significantly improve your hands’ texture and tone. Though a moisturizer alone won’t create new collagen or reverse sun damage, it can make skin look plumper and more youthful. And in Retin-A’s case, it can help lighten sun damaged areas. Make sure to look for moisturizers containing these key ingredients: alpha-hydroxy acids, vitamins E and A, SPF 15+, shea butter, retinyl palmitate, olive oil, glycerin and macadamia oil.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels remove the skin’s outer layers to encourage the formation of smooth, blemish-free skin. They effectively erase lines, wrinkles, scars and sun spots on hands. (Chemical peels can’t remedy bulging veins and raised scars, however.) The most common type of chemical peel used for hand rejuvenation, the TCA peel, improves skin discoloration, reduces fine lines, and evens out skin texture.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a powerful exfoliating treatment that uses oxide crystals to polish away the top layers of the skin. It results in diminished fine lines, scars and wrinkles and smoother, more even skin. It even reduces pores and lightens age spots. Although regular maintenance treatments are required with microdermabrasion, it boasts a number of benefits, including being extremely affordable and non-invasive. What’s more, its results can be seen immediately.

Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing

Fractional laser skin resurfacing removes the outer layers of skin to a predetermined depth to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone and texture, correct uneven pigmentation and generate new collagen. It’s an excellent option if you want fuller, firmer and smoother skin on your hands.

Sclerotherapy

Looking for a safe and effective treatment for unsightly hand veins? Consider sclerotherapy, a treatment which uses a series of small injections to erase offending veins. The science behind sclerotherapy is simple. A physician will inject a safe sclerosing agent into the vein, causing its walls to collapse and allowing the body to naturally absorb the remaining fragments. Sclerotherapy does require multiple treatments, but it’s quick (each session lasts only 30 minutes), virtually painless, and requires no recovery time.

IPL Treatments

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments target red and brown pigmentation, destroying abnormal cells and lightening age spots, freckles and redness. IPL also promotes collagen growth, diminishes scars and enhances overall skin complexion. Most people see significant improvement in their hands’ texture and tone in as little as two treatments, though a series of five is often recommended.

Thermage

Thermage is a safe, non-invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency technology to smooth and improve skin for an overall youthful appearance. It’s ideal for tightening and thickening the crepe-like skin that develops on hands over time. The best thing about Thermage? You’ll need only one treatment to obtain dramatically younger looking hands.

Laser Treatments

Laser technology quite literally vaporizes the top layers of the skin, prompting the regrowth of new skin cells and leaving you with tighter, smoother skin. Hands that have blotchy patches, age spots, sun damage, scars and uneven texture respond best to laser treatment. Light wrinkles and minor skin discolorations need only one to two treatments, while more severe cosmetic issues might require three to four treatments for optimal results.

Soft Tissue Augmentation

Soft tissue augmentation, otherwise known as dermal fillers, can definitely make your hands look more youthful. They achieve this by adding body where it’s needed. Radiesse, one of the most commonly used dermal fillers for hand rejuvenation, replaces lost volume around veins and tendons, making them less noticeable. Radiesse injections give you instant satisfaction and can last up to two years.

The market offers several hand rejuvenation techniques, each one catering to a specific cosmetic issue. So carefully consider which treatment will work best for you. But regardless which method you choose, remember that afterwards you must take measures to prevent further aging and damage to your hands. Regularly exfoliating your hands and using an intensive moisturizer along with a high SPF broad-spectrum sunblock on a daily basis will ensure your hands continue to look fresh and youthful.