Some say that you’re only as young as your neck, but I think that the hands also are a dead giveaway to someone’s age. As the hands are exposed to the sun as much as the face is, it makes sense that they are prone to the same signs of premature aging including wrinkles, dark spots and loss of elasticity. Thin skin and few oil glands already put our hands at a disadvantage, and as we age and lose the plumpness of youth, veins, tendons and bones appear more prominent. Couple that with TEWL (transepidermal water loss) from frequent hand washing and you’ve got seriously old-looking hands.
Fortunately, the same skin-care practices that benefit your face can also be applied to your hands with a few tweaks:
- Wear Sunscreen. The number one anti-aging tip for your face is equally important for the hands. They are getting as much sun exposure as the face, so shouldn’t they be given the same consideration? There’s no denying the challenge of finding a hand cream that strikes the right balance between hydration and sun protection. Until I find just the right one, I opt to use Anthelios XL SPF 45 Comfort Cream on the tops of my hands. It may seem like an extra step to put on sunscreen (and to remember to apply it a good 15 minutes before leaving the house!) but if it works for the face, it will work for the hands. Plus the vitamin E in the formula (listed as tocopherol on the ingredient list) provides some antioxidant protection against free radicals. You may also want to consider a mineral sunscreen containing zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, like Keys Solar Rx SPF 30, as physical sunscreens require no waiting time to be effective.
- Don Your Gloves. It takes a while to make wearing rubber gloves a habit before we plunge our hands into a sinkful of soapy suds, but your hands will thank you for the extra effort. Water has the potential to be the hands’ enemy as it can wash away the lipids that hold in moisture.
- Choose a Thicker Cream. Restore the skin’s barrier system with a moisturizer containing humectants like hyaluronic acid and urea. Both attract water and work to hold moisture in the skin. For very dry skin, Dermal Therapy Hand, Knee & Elbow cream contains 15% urea, lactic acid and silk amino acids to enhance the skin’s natural barrier while keeping moisture in and harmful bacteria out.
- Treat Spots. This is when I lament the long-discontinued La Roche Posay Mela D Hands, a blend of kojic acid for lightening, Mexoryl XL for sun protection, LHA for exfoliation and thermal spring water for hydration. Good alternatives include Ultraquin Plain with 4% hydroquinone for targeted treatment and botanical-based LRP Pigmentclar Serum.
- Exfoliate. Get rid of dry skin with a body scrub like Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub. The crystals gently polish the skin while the oils and shea butter soften and hydrate.
- Bump up the Collagen. Neostrata’s Anti Wrinkle Night Complex may be formulated for the face, but skin is skin and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t baby our hands the same way. Boosting collagen in the hands will give them a fuller, smoother look.
Of course, you can go the extreme route with laser treatments that boost collagen production or even injected fillers to give your hands a youthful plumpness. A hand-lift, if you will. Unfortunately, the $1200 price tag is a little hard to swallow.
