If you’re reading this, you likely consider yourself skin care obsessed. You double-cleanse, you’ve figured out retinoids, and you slather on SPF religiously. With all the attention you pay to your precious face, you may have forgotten some prime real estate: your hands.
During the last year and a half, our hands have certainly been through it, with countless applications of drying hand sanitizer and stripping soaps lathered on day after day. You may have found yourself glancing down to see hands that are in some serious need of TLC, or dare I say, hands that may be betraying just how diligent you are about your usual beauty routine.
You’re not alone. For many of us, our hands are the first thing to give away our age. Over time, they start to show lines, become speckled with sun spots, and lose fat between the tendons, which leads to a bony appearance. Enter: hand filler.
If you’re becoming self-conscious about the appearance of your hands, there are several treatments available to help turn back the clock. From hand filler to lasers, Dr. Nancy Samolitis of Facile Dermatology + Boutique has a few recommendations to keep your hands looking their best.
Smooth Out with Filler
As we get older, we naturally lose fat in our hands, and the tendons and bones become more pronounced. This leads to a frail and delicate appearance that can make us look more mature than we are. If loss of volume in the hands is becoming a concern for you, hyaluronic acid filler is an option. Dr. Samolitis recommends seeing a provider who can inject hand filler between the tendons and around the veins for a smoother appearance that instantly (and safely) takes years off the look of your hands.
Resurface with Laser
If you love outdoor activities, chances are your hands get a tan fast. Pastimes like jogging and gardening can lead to prolonged sun exposure and, over time, lingering sun spots. While chemical peels can provide a more even-toned result on the face, Dr. Samolitis considers them a bit unpredictable as a treatment for the hands. Instead, she recommends laser resurfacing with a device like Fraxel or Coolpeel. With several treatments, sun damage is treated below the surface for a more uniform skin tone over time. Bye bye, dark spots!
Go Beyond The Neckline
I always take my serums and moisturizers down to my chest, but I’ll admit it, I’ve been neglectful of my hands in the past. Only recently did I start to massage small dabs of tretinoin into the back of my hands at night after dabbing my prescription on my face. If you’re using a brightening vitamin C serum, apply a few drops to your hands too, and finish off with a nourishing hand cream. To lock in any replenishing ingredients, slip on a pair of cotton gloves before bed to wake up to softer, smoother hands.
Prevention Is Key
Sun is the number one contributor to skin aging — period — and yet we often forget our hands in our daily SPF application. Protecting your hands during prolonged exposure to the sun is your best bet for preventing age spots, lines and crepiness. Stash an SPF hand cream like in your purse to make application a daily routine, and if you spend a lot of time in traffic, Dr. Samolitis suggests wearing a pair of UV protective driving gloves during your commute.
