Have you heard of hand rejuvenation therapy but don’t know why you’d need it? People get hand rejuvenation for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most common.
Your Hands Are Aging
Most people concentrate on their faces in their anti-aging routines and treatments. It makes sense—your face is where people usually look first. But everyone knows you can tell someone’s age by their hands. Hands are a very visible part of the body and are one of the most susceptible to aging. Besides, people often call attention to their hands intentionally by wearing jewelry.
First, understanding the aging process is helpful. Much of the changes due to aging happen in the epidermis (top layer of the skin) and the dermis (middle layer). The dermis gives structure to the skin and supports skin cells with a collagen extracellular matrix. As we age, we produce less collagen and the collagen that is produced breaks down more easily.
In the epidermis, aging is often characterized by the accumulation of cells called corneocytes, which cause dry, rough, dull-looking skin. Because the skin of the hands is so thin, there isn’t a lot of collagen to begin with. Age and environmental damage quickly take their toll on the hands, causing wrinkles, age spots and prominent veins.
Your Hands Have Sun Damage
We’d never recommend hiding from the sun entirely. After all, limited sun exposure plays a role in your health by helping to regulate vitamin D, not to mention some other potential benefits of sunlight. That said, excessive sunlight is one of the main drivers of the skin’s aging process, responsible for photoaging effects such as age spots and contributing to other signs of aging such as thinner skin and wrinkles.
You may not realize it, but your hands are exposed to the sun as much or more as other parts of the body. Think about it—the only time you probably cover your hands up is when it’s very cold and you put on gloves and few people remember to put sunscreen on their hands. Otherwise, they’re out there exposed to the elements.
You Have Prominent Veins
Your skin thins as you get older and your hands also lose fat as you age. Since your veins lay just beneath the skin, thinning skin with less fat underneath causes them to appear to stick out more.
Additionally, veins don’t shrink as you get older—on the contrary, they have the tendency to bulge. Combine these two factors and you’ve got protruding veins on the backs of your hands, making them look older.
Dermal fillers and fat grafting, two of the main techniques used in hand rejuvenation, can plump up the skin and return it to the level of your veins. This makes your hands appear smoother and your veins less visible. Restoring that smooth contour can make hands looks noticeably younger.
You Want Better Skin Tone
One of the surest signs of age is thin, papery skin on the hands. It happens as the hands lose collagen and their ability to retain moisture is reduced. Moisturizing creams and sunblocks are important but can only help so much.
If fat grafting is used, the stem cells in your body’s fat can potentially enhance the quality of the skin and provide a rejuvenated appearance and improved skin tone.
The Benefits of Dermal Fillers and Fat Grafting for Hand Rejuvenation
While many hand rejuvenation treatments focus on external signs aging in the skin, internal aging is improved the most by restoring the volume of soft tissue using a number of long-lasting dermal fillers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved certain fillers, such as Restylane Lyft, a hyaluronic acid filler, for use in the hands; it’s actually the first hyaluronic acid injectable gel to be FDA approved for any area other than the face.
The characteristics of each filler allow the treatment to be tailored to the client’s individual needs. Depending on the individual and the type of filler used, successful results may last as long as nine months up to two years; however, fillers typically last 6 to 12 months. Regular touch-ups help maintain your youthful looking hands, as the fillers typically start to dissolve after about a year.
Fat transfer techniques for hand rejuvenation are also a popular solution. With a fat transfer, a small amount of fat tissue is obtained from another part of the body and transferred into the tissue on the back of the hand, restoring volume. Fat is distributed gently and evenly and then massaged to create a smooth contour. This fills in the areas where there is a hollowed out appearance from natural aging, providing a smooth, more youthful appearance. This procedure has a long-lasting effect for those wanting younger-looking hands. Effects most often last for many years, since the transferred fat is your own and so it simply lives in its new location.
Dr. Jacobson will work with you to address your specific concerns and help your hands look and feel healthier. Our practice uses comfortable, state-of-the-art facilities and the most tested and effective hand rejuvenation procedures. Request an appointment today.