Are your hands giving away your age? Here is the truth. Skin ageing is inevitable. Often times we tend to focus on our face and neck when we are trying to protect our skin from ageing, and overlooking the importance of protecting our hands.
Ever caught yourself admiring someone’s face, only to wonder why are their hands so wrinkly? Well, our hands are one of the most exposed parts of our body, and is therefore subjected to the wear and tear from daily activities and harsh environmental factors. This is why the first signs of skin ageing tend to appear under our eye, necks, and on our hands. Their hands are giving away their age, but are your hands giving away your age? Read on to find out what are the common signs of ageing hands, the importance of protecting our hands from ageing, and effective ways to keep them looking and feeling their best!
1. “Age Spots” and “Liver Spots”
Age and/or liver spots are a common development on ageing hands. These spots tend to gradually grow in size and quantity as we get older. This is because of the increased exposure to UV rays and harsh environmental elements.
Pigmentation lasers such as the PICO laser does an excellent job of shattering and destroying the pigments on the skin. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion can also be helpful to address texture and pigmentation. Topical creams as well as Cryotherapy are also great considerations.
2. Loss of Volume and Fullness in the Hands
Like our face, our hands also loses volume and fullness as we grow wiser. The loss in collagen affects the skin’s laxity, causing the veins, tendons, and skeleton of the hands also becomes more obvious.
Fillers are a great option to address this volume loss and help improve the look of our hands. Hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, and/or body fat fillers are examples of fillers that you can consider. “Bio-remodeling skin injectables such as polynucleotide can also be used to plump up the skin on our hands. It is important, however, to seek a doctor with experience if fillers are something that you would like to approach.
3. Thinned, Wrinkly, or “Crepe-Paper-Like” Skin
Another result of collagen and elasticity loss in our skin is “crepe-paper-like” texture on our hands. Chronic sun damage and UV radiation can speed up the collagen loss and cause premature ageing of the skin on our hands.
Common treatments include hand creams/lotions with retinols and glycolic acid, hand creams, lasers, and/or chemical peels every 1 to 3 months. And if you guessed sun protection is an important factor in preventing ageing of the hands, ding!, you are right!
4. Dry, Rough Hands
Our skin’s ability to hold water decreases as we age. This drop of water retention in the skin can cause our skin to appear and feel dry and rough.
Treatment options for dry and rough hands are similar to the ones for “crepe-paper-like” skin. They include include hand creams/lotions with retinols and glycolic acid, hand creams, lasers, and/or chemical peels every 1 to 3 months.
5. Actinic Keratoses (Rough Scaly Patches)
Artinic Keratoses can be formed on the skin if it has been exposed to the sun for a significant amount of time throughout your life. If you notice rough scaly patches on your skin, it is best to get it checked with your doctor. This is especially important because these rough patches, if are artinic keratoses, can be a precancerous growth. Artinic keratoses can occur earlier in people who have a history of using tanning beds or have a significant amount of sun exposure throughout their lifetime.
6. Brittle, discoloured nails
How to tell if your nails are brittle? Brittle nails often have lines or ridges that run across the nail. Statistics show that approximately 20% of people have brittle nails. Risk of developing brittle nails also increases with age.
You can strengthen your nails by reducing habits such as letting your hands stay wet for an extended period of time and using harsh chemicals or soaps. Having a nutritional deficiency or fungal nail infections also cause brittle nails. A doctor will be able to help you diagnose your nails and treat them appropriately.
Habits to Keep Your Hands Young and Supple
So, are your hands giving away your age? It is essential to protect your hands from UV damage in order to keep them looking young! Apply your sun protection generously before sun exposure, and reapply it throughout the day. If you are working hot water, detergents or other harsh chemicals, be sure to wear safety gloves to protect your hands. Moisturising your hands after showering or whenever they are dry are also important in maintaining your skin barrier function. Moisturising your hands well can also help to trap and hold water in your skin to keep it supple and plump.
Visit Cheongdam Aesthetics Clinic or Cheongdam Korean Skin Management today if you would like to consult a doctor or a professional, or if you have a treatment option in mind that you would like to try. Good luck in your journey to younger looking hands!