Hands are one of the first areas that reveal signs of aging, including wrinkles, fine lines, brittle nails and age spots that make hands appear older than they actually are.
Changes in hands occur due to both biological processes and external factors like sun exposure and lifestyle choices like smoking or poor hand skin care practices. However, there are ways to reverse the signs of aging on hands.
1. Retinoids
Retinoids, which are vitamin A derivatives, act as skin rejuvenating agents. Retinoids stimulate collagen production within the skin to decrease fine lines and wrinkles while simultaneously speeding up cell turnover to remove dead skin cells. Retinoids also decrease pigmentation (darkening of skin tone) as well as lighten dark spots; additionally they may even prevent new dark spots by blocking melanosome transfer to skin surfaces.
Retinoids are frequently prescribed to treat acne, rosacea, psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions as well as some cancers, scarring and sun damage. Furthermore, retinoids have an impactful way of neutralizing free radicals which cause damage to our cells through free radical damage – in turn protecting us against further oxidative stress on our skins.
There are different kinds of retinoids. The first generation are natural retinoids such as retinol, retinal, and tretinoic acid and have the closest structure and function to vitamin A; however, these first-generation retinoids also tend to have more toxic side effects compared with second and third-generation products.
The second generation of synthetic retinoids offers improved stability, penetration, and tolerability; their specific structural design binds more efficiently with retinoic acid receptors; they have less side effects than first-generation products like etretinate, isotretinoin and acitretin; furthermore there are third generation products such as adapalene and bexarotene that incorporate structural modifications that increase both tolerability and efficacy while treating more conditions than their predecessors.
2. Chemical Peels
Chemical peels, commonly employed to improve facial complexion, can also be utilized on hands to resurface their skin. They are effective at diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, volume loss and skin laxity on hands.
A superficial peel employs mild acids such as alpha hydroxy acids to exfoliate and refresh the outer layer of skin, making this treatment suitable for individuals who are experiencing minor wrinkles and age spots. This treatment may be especially useful for hands with wrinkles or age spots.
Medium-depth peels such as glycolic acid or trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels can effectively lighten age spots while improving crepy skin on hands. Furthermore, these treatments work particularly well for individuals with ethnic skin types.
Deeper chemical peels may address more significant signs of hand aging, but they carry an increased risk for complications. Before opting for this procedure, it’s wise to meet with a dermatologist first so they can provide advice about minimizing side effects and complications.
Peels performed by qualified professionals tend to be safe for all skin types; however, there may be temporary darkening or lightening of skin color – particularly among individuals with darker complexions. Furthermore, there may be the reactivation of cold sores for individuals prone to them.
Reversing signs of aging on hands is possible through various treatments, including dermal fillers for volume loss, Fraxel lasers, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments to even skin tone and texture, and sclerotherapy to remove visible veins and bones. When combined with daily application of Retinol products, these options can make your hands appear younger and healthier.
3. Intense Pulsed Light
As we age, people become concerned with facial lines and wrinkles as well as gray hair appearing, but hands often also exhibit signs of wear such as thin skin, sun spots, discoloration and visible veins. Some solutions for these problems may include dermal fillers, laser skin resurfacing, IPL photofacials or even sclerotherapy treatments.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is another non-invasive treatment option to improve the look of aging hands. IPL works by emitting a broad spectrum of incoherent, pulsed polychromatic light that can be used for cosmetic treatment of vascular lesions, hyperpigmentation and sun damage as well as breaking capillaries minimization and improving mild rhytids.
An IPL photofacial begins by covering the patient in a cooling gel and protecting them with goggles before light energy is transmitted through a handpiece that gently slides over their treatment area. Once converted to thermal energy, this light zaps away abnormal cells while leaving behind healthy tissue; additionally it encourages new collagen and elastin production for plumped skin with reduced fine lines and crepiness.
IPL photofacial treatments can also help reduce liver spots on hands caused by sun exposure and the natural aging process. Light energy transmitted via handpiece breaks apart areas of discoloration before stimulating collagen and elastin production for increased skin healing, helping it rebuild itself into healthier and younger-looking tissue.
IPL therapy can also reduce the appearance of age spots, freckles and scars while targeting unhealthy tissues to cause broken capillaries to collapse and fade away from view.
4. Fat Injections
Fat injections use healthy, naturally-occurring fat extracted from the patient’s own body to restore volume and vitality in their hands. Plastic surgeons extract it using small incisions and cannula from areas such as the thighs, abdomen or buttocks before cleaning it before injecting into areas that require enhancement. Although the procedure requires minor surgery and recovery time, the long-lasting results produced make this technique worth trying compared to injectable treatments that last only several months.
Dr. Gabriele Miotto of Atlanta Cosmetic Surgery and Expert Injector performs autologous fat hand rejuvenation treatment through minimally invasive means in her office. First she extracts fat cells with liposuction from other areas (usually the tummy or inner thighs) then purifies and processes them at her location with the use of a centrifuge before injecting the processed lipids through tiny incisions without scars into the back of the hand for infusion.
Dr. Miotto’s hand fat transfer differs from conventional fillers in that it utilizes natural body fat from each individual patient to reduce any risks of an allergic reaction and promote natural collagen production and anti-aging benefits. Furthermore, this procedure stimulates natural production of more anti-aging properties by the body over time.
Due to our bodies’ natural tendency for resorption, not all of the fat transferred to hands will survive resorption. Dr. Miotto’s injection of slightly more than necessary helps account for this loss; patients usually require two sessions for best results. Swelling and bruising may occur following hand fat transfer procedures; these side effects usually subside over time with cold compresses and enzyme preparations such as serratiopeptidase helping reduce any side effects more rapidly.
5. Fillers
Hands can be one of the first areas to reveal signs of aging, with skin becoming wrinkled and wrinkled tendons protruding, sunspots forming and wrinkled tendons protrusion resulting in a “skeletonized” look which makes concealing age-related concerns with makeup difficult. Dermal fillers offer one solution by increasing volume while diminishing veins and tendons prominence.
Fillers provide a quick, non-invasive, and effective treatment option for combatting hand aging. Injections of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers can restore lost volume to give hands a youthful appearance again. For best results, injection sites should be clearly labeled by medical professionals before being numbed with topical anesthetic cream prior to each injection session; procedures typically last around 30 minutes with patients driving themselves home immediately afterwards.
Your practitioner will select a dermal filler suitable to your aesthetic goals based on its opacity; there are various choices such as hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm and Restylane as well as calcium hydroxylapatite fillers like Radiesse that have opaque properties to hide veins and tendons.
Once injected into the skin, fillers are quickly absorbed and begin their work by smoothing out its texture, diminishing vein prominence, and minimizing signs of aging. They may even encourage collagen production for added skin health benefits.
As there are various medspas that offer filler services, it’s essential that you select one with experienced medical professionals that have an in-depth knowledge of hand anatomy and its subtleties. Furthermore, for your own safety and the best possible results it is advised that injections be conducted under sterile conditions in a doctor’s office setting.
