Even with a healthy body and youthful looking face, hands can give away your age. In fact, some people believe that hands are best indicator for guessing age. Hands get the most sun exposure, least protection, and perform the harshest tasks. Now that facial procedures are almost commonplace, women are looking for solutions for aging hands.
Age Spots
The most prevalent sign of aging seen in hands is age spots or “liver spots.”Age spots are sun damage. Few people wear sunscreen on their hands, and even those who do, have a hard time keeping it on their hands for any length of time. If you manage to effectively protect your hands from the sun, hormones can still encourage the production of age spots. Luckily, there are many techniques for removing age spots. Some options your doctor may recommend to remove or fade age spots include:
- Chemical peels
- Laser treatment
- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
- Topical bleaching agents
- Retin-A
- Alpha hydroxy
Once you have removed or faded the spots the only way to keep them from returning is to protect you hands from sun exposure.
Veins
As the skin thins, veins in the hands can become very visible and unsightly. Just like spider veins in the legs, this can be remedied. Sclerotherapy uses injections that cause the veins to clot, die and disappear.
Thinning and wrinkled hands
The laser treatments used to remove age spots can also help the skin to build up to its normal thickness, by stimulating collagen production. As your hands lose volume, wrinkles become more apparent and your hands can start to look bony. Fat grafts can restore youthful plumpness and minimize the appearance of wrinkles. Microdermabrasion is used to smooth fine wrinkles and weathered looking skin.
Just like facial treatments, remedies for aging hands can range from a mild but effective surface treatment to complex reconstruction. It’s really a matter of how badly your hands have aged and how far you want to go. Youthful looking hands complete an otherwise youthful body and face, and now are a realistic option for everyone.
If your hands are showing your age, talk to an experienced cosmetic surgeon today.
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