You work hard to look youthful. You cover your gray hair, apply anti-aging creams and protect your face with sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats when you’re outside.
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But if you neglect your hands, they may give away your true age or can even make you look older. They need protection and care, too.
It’s never too late to start taking good care of them. Moisturizer, sunscreen and other treatments can help get you on your way.
Ever wonder what causes aging hands? The answer is found in the way your body changes as a whole over time. But you can intervene in how it happens.
“Dry, scaly skin, brittle nails, and dark age spots can become problems as people get older,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD.
As you age, your hands lose fat and elasticity and your skin loses volume. This reduced volume and decreased elasticity produces translucent skin that wrinkles and develops age spots.
Age spots, also called liver spots or solar lentigines, happen after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and can be various shades of brown or black. They appear on the areas most exposed to the sun, when melanin is abundant because of sun exposure. You can get them at any age, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors or use tanning beds (which are never recommended).
“Your hands can also develop a skeletal appearance because you lose fat in some places as you age,” Dr. Kassouf says.
The good news is there are many ways to prevent and fight signs of aging on your hands. Dr. Kassouf recommends the following:
If your hands already look older than you’d like, it’s not too late. Most problems can be treated to bring back a more youthful appearance.
“We’re all washing and sanitizing our hands a lot more than we used to,” Dr. Kassouf says. “This can break down our skins barrier function resulting in rough, dry and inflamed skin that can increase the penetration of chemicals, allergens and other infections.”
There are two kinds of products to use to help heal your skin. The first are humectants, ingredients like hyaluronic acid that help bind water into the skin to hydrate it. Second, there are products containing lipids or fats that are the emollients that improve the barrier function of the skin, helping to keep all of the unwanted things out.
“Both are important now more than ever for the health and beauty of you skin and especially your hands,” Dr. Kassouf emphasizes.
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