DO YOUR HANDS GIVE AWAY YOUR AGE?

 

 

Do your hands look old, dark and wrinkled? They are aging with you but they need not give away your age a lot quicker than your face.  If you don't have a youth-preserving plan for the delicate, oft-abused skin and nails on your hands, it'll be a dead giveaway of your age.

 

How are the hands aging?

1.      Age spots: The funny thing about age spots is that they actually have nothing to do with age: Age spots are the result of sun exposure. Short of wearing gloves 24/7, you should be smoothing on a dime-sized dab of hand cream with SPF 30 before heading out the door each day—and reapplying after you wash your hands or every two hours if you're exposed to even a little sunlight. Night application of 2% hydroquinone

2.      Crumpled skin: If the backs of your hands are starting to get a crumpled look reminiscent of gift bag stuffing, use a prescription retinoid cream to improve texture and jumpstart the growth of thickening collagen. Topical application of  lotion containing a retinol or glycolic acid can help.

3.      Prominent veins: Lasers address this problem best and topical applications are not of much use. Sclerosants too are useful.

4.      Scaly skin: Nothing about dry, scaly skin says "young and healthy." Return them to smooth-and-plump status overnight with this quick pre-bed routine:

·        First, slough off rough, dead skin with a gentle scrub

·        then create an all-night moisture mask by smoothing on a glycerin and plant oil-containing hand cream like Elovera Moisturizing Cream

·        cover hands with plastic wrap and putting cotton gloves on top (skip the plastic and you'll just end up with really well moisturized gloves).

5.      Stained nails: If your nails are turning yellow or brown and are painful, then this is a fungal infection. If your doctor rules out fungal infection, you can relax, as the discoloration is likely a harmless side effect of some medication or wearing dark polish. Run your nails with a lemon wedge, just like you would when you're rubbing off nail polish (the natural fruit acids will lighten the nail bed), or soaking in denture cleaner for 15 to 20 minutes to remove the stains. Also make sure to apply a base coat before you reapply your favorite oxblood lacquer.

6.      Brittle nails: Water or chemical exposure, seasonal weather changes, and even genetics, can all lead to brittle, breaking nails. But the right supplements can help. Taking a 2.5 mg dose of the B vitamin biotin improves nail strength and reduces brittleness after six to nine months.

7.      Outdated manicure: Science is constantly changing and your idea of manicure may be outdated. Seek professional help once in a while.

8.      Give up smoking: Smoking tobacco hastens atherosclerosis and hands, and particularly the fingers, being terminal organs are least vascularized and lose the youthful turgor.

How to prevent hand aging?

With proper care, and this handy advice, your hands will keep your age hidden for longer.   

Wash your hands correctly

Too much soap can make your hands dry and flaky, so keep these essential tips in mind:

·        Don't use antibacterial soap unless absolutely necessary. Opt for a moisturizing soap instead (Pears, Dove), such as one with jojoba oil, olive oil or aloe vera.

·        Wash your hands with warm, but not hot water - this will help preserve the natural protective layer. 

·        As opposed to electric dryers, opt for paper towels instead. 

 

Wear gloves

Hands are constantly affected by external factors such as cold, chemicals and dry air. To minimize the damage to your skin, wear gloves as follows:

·        Use leather, fur gloves or mittens for cold weather.

·        Wear rubber or latex gloves for household chores - washing the dishes, mopping floors, cleaning the bathtub etc.

·        Use cloth gloves for gardening.

 

Moisten your hands regularly

Your body needs to stay hydrated to keep each cell and tissue refreshed. Apart from crucial functions like flushing toxins from your body, water also keeps your skin healthy and hydrated from the inside. Dehydrated skin can turn brittle, weak, and thin, eventually leading to wrinkles on your hands. Your aim should be to drink at least eight glasses of water every day.

·        A good hand cream is as crucial as soap or shampoo. Keep these tips in mind:

·       Clip your nails, and purchase a vitamin E cream for the cuticles. 

·        Be sure to drink plenty of water.

·        When the Apply the cream as needed, though no less than twice a day. If your hands are dry, keep hand cream by the sink and apply it after every time you wash your hands. Pick a hand cream that contains glycerin andalpha-hydroxy acids. These are beneficial ingredients that work as humectants to attract moisture from the air to your skin. 

·        Moisturize the room air, turn on the humidifier.

·        Use Emollient - Lack of water can dry the top layer of your skin. It cracks the surface of the skin and leaves spaces between the skin cells. Emollients, or softening agents, fill these empty spaces between your skin cells and make your skin smoother.

 

Remember to scrub

Your hands need scrubbing and masks at least once a week:

·        Make a hand mask from the products you have in your fridge. Mix 20 ml. milk, an egg yolk and a tablespoon of lemon juice, applying it to your hands and letting it rest for 20 minutes. 

·        Use a mix of olive oil and sugar as a scrub.

·        If using a body scrub, apply that to your hands. 

As we age, the skin's natural exfoliation process slows down. Thus, the skin builds up dead skin cells. When we exfoliate our hands with a mild scrub we get rid of dead skin cells. It helps in turn to speed up cellular turnover while softening fine lines and wrinkles on our hands.

Use sunscreen

To protect your hands from the sun, apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to your hands every day before going outdoors. Hyperpigmentation following sun exposure can make your hands look older than your age. But this does not occur due to aging or liver dysfunction, but rather, the effect of the sun. To avoid pigment spots do the following: 

·        Regularly apply sunscreen to your hands.

·        Citrus fruits are a good natural 'whitener,' so make a mask out of 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp milk, and 1 tsp honey. 

Use a Retinoid at night

One of the most popular anti-ageing ingredients, retinoids are derived from vitamin A. Retinoid is also the most widely used prescription treatment for wrinkles. Retinoids can increase collagen production in the skin. They also encourage skin regeneration and promote the formation of new blood vessels. Hence, your skin appears smooth, soft, and healthy. Use it only in the night, as sun exposure after applying retinol is not recommended. Pregnant women must avoid it.

Healthy Diet

Maintain a healthy diet with vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Non surgical hand rejuvenation

1.      For sun spots

·         Cryosurgery (freezing)

·         Laser therapy

·         Chemical peeling

·         Microdermabrasion

·         Skin-lightening creams and lotions

 

2.      For loss of youthful fullness

·        Fillers -   Dermal fillers or soft tissue fillers can be used to reduce wrinkles. These fillers are substances designed to be injected beneath the skin surface to add volume. It also provides fullness and reduces wrinkles temporarily.

·        Fat grafting – fat is aspirated from lower abdomen or thigh and injected under the skin of hand

 

3.      Prominent veins

·        Sclerotherapy - injects a substance into the vein to destroy it. This causes the vein to disappear slowly.

·        Lasers

 

4.      Wrinkled skin

·        Chemical peel – every 1 to 3 months

·        Lasers

 

5.      Loose skin

·        Radiofrequency, a procedure that sends heat deep into the skin, can tighten loose skin. Most people need only one treatment on their hands

·        Lasers

·        Fillers

The clock won’t stop for your hands. You can take action to ensure your hands maintain your desired look and feel. As you age, remember that surgical options like laser therapy, hand lifts, and fillers are always an option to keep your hands looking young.