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.

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.

When it comes to reversing the signs of aging, many people concentrate on improving their skin tone and texture in the facial region. Some extend their attention and care to the neck area as well. But unless the hands are also taken care of in equal measure, they can give away the telltale signs of aging, making all of your other efforts seem like a big waste! Finding the right cosmetic treatments to address this issue starts with understanding the cause itself.

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 and those appear in their hands.

As you age, your hands lose fat and elasticity and your skin loses volume. This reduced volume and decreased elasticity produce 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 in 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).

What we can do to prevent aging hands?

The good news is there are many ways to prevent and fight signs of aging on your hands. Lumina’s doctors recommend the following:

• Moisturize — Don’t let your hands get dried out. Make a habit of putting on lotion regularly during the day and every time after you wash your hands. Stock up and keep a bottle of moisturizer on the sink so you never forget an application.
• Protect your skin and nails — Wear cotton-lined gloves when gardening or when cleaning with harsh soap or chemicals. Use a mild pH soap to wash your hands.
• Exfoliate — When you’re exfoliating your body or face, don’t forget about your hands. Don’t forget to moisturize immediately after.
• Wear sunscreen — A broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50 or higher will go a long way to prevent age spots and wrinkles. Protecting your hands from UV rays can also keep your hands from looking bony, and don’t forget that when you’re driving UV rays come through your windows.
• Eat a healthy diet — A balanced diet with plenty of vitamins antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids nourishes your skin and helps you grow healthy nails. If your diet is low in certain proteins, vitamin C, or vitamin B complex or if you have poor absorption, your nails can become brittle and peel or flake easily. Make sure to eat a balanced diet full of foods that are good for your skin and contain vitamins to nourish your hands from the inside out. You can also get yourself a good multivitamin.

But, 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.

Age spots can be improved with over-the-counter or prescription topical creams containing retinol or retinoid acid. If these aren’t as effective as you’d like, chemical peels or laser treatments at Lumina Aesthetics Clinic can bring about more dramatic results.

Thin, bony hands can be plumped up with Exilis RF which can stimulate collagen production and tighten loose skin.

For all signs of aging keep eating your vitamins and stay moisturized, protected from the sun and hydrated. Talk to Lumina’s doctor about how to treat the signs of aging on your hands and what works best for you to treat any long-term damage.

We’re all washing and sanitizing our hands a lot more than we used to – more often during pandemics. This can break down our skin's barrier function resulting in rough, dry and inflamed skin that can increase the penetration of chemicals, allergens and other infections.

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The Aging Process and Hand Rejuvenation

Elastin and collagen are the two key proteins responsible for giving skin its firmness and elasticity. Hyaluronic acid retains moisture and gives volume to the skin and provides it a plump youthful look. As the years go by, the production of these components begins to slow down. Excessive exposure to the sun not only contributes to this degrading production but also hastens the degradation of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. As a result, your skin will begin to sag and develop wrinkles.

Age spots start appearing due to localized accumulation of melanin. In addition, the loss of fat, reduction in oil and moisture content in the skin and weakening muscles also contribute to a discolored, bony, and veiny appearance.

Being one of the regions of the body most exposed to harmful outside elements, it is no wonder that the hands are one of the first body parts that exhibit the early signs of aging, along with the face. Hand rejuvenation seeks to correct and camouflage all these apparent signs of aging to restore the appearance of plump and blemish-free hands.

Lumina’s Exilis Ultra Smooth – Lumina Aesthetics

Exilis Ultra Smooth is an excellent cosmetic treatment option used to restore younger-looking hands through non-surgical means. In simple terms, it is a procedure that harnesses the benefits of delivering both radiofrequency and ultrasound energy to the hands to achieve faster and better cosmetic results.

The Exilis Ultra Smooth system consists of a hand-held applicator device that can transmit energy into the areas of the hands that need attention. The cooling tip ensures that the surface of the skin is unharmed. At the same time, heat is generated in the lower layers due to the energy delivered.

The controlled heating at optimal depths has the capability to disrupt the underlying fat cells. Gradually, these damaged cells are flushed away by the body’s natural processes. In this manner, the excess fat deposits that have collected in unwanted locations can be shrunk down.

This system stimulates the production of collagen in the skin. As a result, the matrix that gives shape and structure to the skin is restored over time. The resulting firmer and healthier skin results in the ironing out of wrinkles and fine lines. The texture of the skin becomes smoother and your hands will have a more even and beautiful complexion.

The treatment is pain-free and patients describe the feeling as similar to a hot stone massage! A warm sensation may be felt in the deeper layers of the skin, but the upper layers are kept cool by the cooling system built into the applicator. This helps to optimize comfort while enjoying the full benefits of the hand rejuvenation treatment. The Exilis Ultra Smooth treatment is a safe, fast, and effective way to rejuvenate your hands and complete your transformation to a more youthful version of you.

Exilis Ultra Smooth is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to rejuvenate their hands. If you’re interested in learning more about the treatment, contact us to schedule an appointment with Lumina’s doctor to learn more.

See you soon at Lumina Aesthetics Clinic.