Why Your Hands Often Show Signs of Ageing First – and What to Do About It
Main image – Sonjalekovic/Stocksy
When you think about what you put your hands through, it can be a lot.
For mine, it’s the constant washing up, sun exposure, walking outside in the bitter English winter without gloves on and not hydrating my hands anywhere near enough. The result? It sometimes feels like I blinked and my hands are suddenly 10 years older.
I’ve definitely noticed far more fine lines on my hands recently when holding them out flat, and the older I get (I’m 43) the drier they feel. It’s strange – we do everything in our power to stop this happening to our faces so why don’t we do the same for our hands? It’s time for an intervention.
Courtesy of our experts, this article lists all the ways you can give your hands a little more TLC. Whether it’s looking after them on a low-maintenance level from home or taking a more serious (and expensive) route in-clinic, these are your hand care options.
What happens to our hands as we age?
The more SPF exposure, the older our hands can look. “The hands are exposed to UV rays from the sun and are often neglected when it comes to SPF, and so they are one of the first places to show the signs of ageing,” explains Dr Jessica Western, cosmetic doctor at Dr Leah Skin Clinics. “This can manifest in roughness, dark spots, wrinkles and a loss of volume and skin elasticity.”
Image – Ohlamourstudio/Stocksy
Hormones play a part too. “Hormonal changes that women experience can also lead to the skin on the hands becoming thin and crepey in texture.”
At-home care
As with most skin issues, treating (and preventing) ageing hands starts with your at home routine. A decent SPF and regular hydration goes a long way. Here’s what our experts recommend.
- Try LED light therapy
Celluma PRO PLUS Series 2 (£2,875) is a FDA-cleared LED light therapy device which is said to be the ‘gold standard of at-home light therapy’ and the kind of technology that professionals use. It uses wavelengths of light – blue, red and near-infrared – to treat skin quality and overall tone on your hands.
Miss Sherina Balaratnam, surgeon and medical director at S-THETICS Clinic, is an advocate for home light therapy. “We’re all using topical vitamin C as antioxidants to erase the effects of UV damage,” she explains. “We’re using hyaluronic acid as topical supplements to rehydrate the skin. We know where injectables work. But there was something else missing. And that was light therapy.” For a cheaper option, try Beauty Pie C-Wave, £120.
- Wear sunscreen
Apply SPF to your hands every time you apply it to your face so that you don’t forget and it becomes a habit. Hello Sunday The One For Your Hands Hand Cream SPF 30, £11, contains all the benefits of a really good hand cream with added sun protection.
- Adopt a massage ritual
Keeping an intense hand cream or oil next to your bed is a really good idea for maintaining a massage routine at bedtime. Not only will it be relaxing, but it will also top your hands up on daily moisture, leaving them less dry and wrinkly looking, more hydrated and supple. I love Caudalie Vinotherapist Hand and Nail Cream, £12, for its nourishing organic shea butter, avocado and grape seed oil. It’s not greasy and smells delicious.
- Exfoliate once a week
To keep your hands’ brightness, make sure you’re scrubbing them once a week to get rid of dead skin and to enhance the benefits of your hand cream. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Scrub, £10, has a balmy texture meaning it’ll hydrate your hands at the same time as exfoliating them. You’ll instantly notice your hands feeling smoother.
In-office treatments
If you’re already doing all right things at home though and you’re still worried about signs of ageing on your hands, there are in clinic options too.
Image – Shavacueva/Stocksy
Ranging from filler to collagen boosters and hyperpigmentation busters, these treatments tackle it all.
- Profhilo (£750 for two treatments) at Dr Leah Clinics
“Profhilo treatment is a skin booster that when injected into the hands acts as a bio-revitaliser which helps rehydrate your skin and stimulate collagen and elastin production,” explains Dr Western.
“Profhilo treatment is also an ideal treatment to correct fine lines and wrinkles across the back of your hands. Thanks to Profhilo’s intensely hydrating hyaluronic acid formulation, the skin has the power to retain more water which helps to dehydrate and fill out wrinkled/crepe skin on hands. Profhilo hands is one of our most requested treatments.”
- Ellansé collagen stimulating dermal filler (£1100 for a one off treatment) at Dr Leah Clinics.
“For hand hollows/ loose skin and prominent veins on hands,” Dr Western says. “Ellanse is a collagen biostimulator that when injected into the hands helps stimulate your natural collagen production, this will give a more dramatic result than Profhilo and is suitable to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, replace volume in the hands to fill hollows and conceal prominent veins.
“Results develop gradually as collagen is produced, and some patients may require more than one session to achieve optimal results.”
- UltraClear™ Cold-Fibre Laser available with leading cosmetic doctors across London, including Dr Dev Patel and Dr David Jack
The first cold-fibre ablative laser to to resurface the skin without redness or lots of recovery time. It refines texture, evens tone, fades scars and stimulates collagen.
- Pigmentation laser (£720 for three sessions) at Dr Leah Clinics
“Pigmentation laser is an IPL treatment which uses light waves to remove age spots, pigmentation, and blemishes on the back of your hands,” Dr Western explains. “It’s not a one-time treatment and may require multiple sessions.”
- ADVATx Laser Treatment at Rakus Clinic
This non-invasive laser treatment improves the skin on your hands’ health, clarity and vibrancy. There is minimal discomfort involved and almost no downtime.
- Fat Grafting
“Fat grafting is relatively straightforward to do and gets optimum results,” say Dr Dan Marsh, founder of The Plastic Surgery Group. “It involves harvesting excess fat from another area of the body by liposuction, such as from the thighs or tummy, and transferring it to the back of the hands.” So what does it do? “It helps to replenish lost volume and also improves the overall texture and elasticity of the skin, making the hands appear plumper and rejuvenated,” they say.
“The stem cells help with rejuvenating the skin, meaning that fat grafting is most certainly the future of hand ageing and something which we predict will rise in popularity in the coming years.”
- Thermage® FLX Radiofrequency Skin Tightening (from £2000), at 111 Harley Street and leading aesthetic clinics nationwide
This non-surgical alternative for loose skin uses radiofrequency technology, the device heats the deepest layers of tissue to trigger new collagen production. There is zero downtime afterwards and hopefully smoother and firmer skin.
- Lumecca at Rakus Clinic
This is IPL (intense pulsed light) therapy which helps to break down skin imperfections like pigmentation and is effective for treating things like sun damage and rosacea. Pulses of light penetrate the skin and are absorbed by melanin and haemoglobin, converting into heat that destroys pigmentation and thickens blood vessels. This in turn means the skin can naturally heal and renew more quickly.
- UltraClear®’s revolutionary 3DMIRACL® at Rakus Clinic
This is cold fibre laser technology that tackles pigmentation, wrinkles, age spots, uneven skin texture and stubborn scars. Skin is said to be left glowing and there is minimal downtime.
The takeaway
Who knew there were so many ways to keep your hands from ageing too soon? The route you choose depends on how concerned or self-conscious you are about yours and what your budget is. The in-clinic treatments aren’t cheap but are proven to give results. At home, you can keep on top of keeping your hands hydrated and smooth to fend off signs of ageing. Whichever option you choose, here’s to having happier, healthier hands.
Meet the experts
Dr Jessica Western is Cosmetic Doctor at Dr Leah Skin Clinics
Miss Sherina Balaratnam, surgeon and medical director at S-THETICS Clinic, Beaconsfield
Mr Dan Marsh is co-founder of London-based The Plastic Surgery Group
Get Glowing!
