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 If you want to know a person's age, you may only have to look at their hands. As we age, our hands do begin to tell on us. The skin thins and loses laxity, veins become prominent, "age spots" appear, and hands begin to feel and look rough, dry, crepey. Many of us focus on rejuvenating the skin on our faces, but forget about our aging hands. The only way to prevent the hands from looking aged is to protect them. Here are some tips:
- Wear a high SPF sunscreen with UVB/UVA protection on the backs of your hands every day. And, renew the sunscreen every 2-hours
- Wear gloves every time you wash dishes, do housework, hand wash clothing, or garden.
- Use mild pH soap when washing your hands. It is the suds that clean and sanitize the hands not the "strength" of the soap.
- Before your hands completely dry, put lotion on them - every time!
- Wear gloves to protect from cold weather and the harsh sun.
- Get a hand treatment once a month that would include a good exfoliation, massage and masque to revitalize your hands and keep them supple.
If you already see age spots on your hands, there is the option of physician-prescribed bleaching creams, which patients rub on their hands on a regular basis for the long-term. These work subtly to reduce the discoloration of dark pigmented spots. An alternative solution is using chemical peels like glycolic acid or TCA peels, which work to remove dead skin cells and stimulate the production of new skin cells. For extreme cases, lasers treatments are used to change the hands' skin color and remove spots. GentleLase(tm) Laser Treatment is used to treat age spots, freckles, sun damage and wrinkles. Results are seen in about 5-10 days. Intense Pulsed Light Systems release precisely controlled strong pulses of filtered light that are absorbed by the melanin in freckles, sun spots or liver spots. The pigmented area absorbs the light and is heated, and is removed by skin renewal. Over the following weeks the pigmented area will gradually flake away from the skin leaving little trace of the original mark.
A little tender, love and care can insure that your hands don't give your age away.
Resources:
Christine M. Sciara, M.D.
1595 Paoli Pike, St. 105, West Chester, PA
610-696-1598
www.sciaracosmetics.com
Allure Medi Spa
30 Darby Road, Paoli, PA
610-648-0468
www.allure-medispa.com
Center for Medical Aesthetics
Dr. Brian Broker, Dr. Laurence Cramer, Dr. Paul Swanson
824 Main Street, St. 201, Phoenixville, PA
610-415-1200
www.bcslaser.com
Couture Laser & Skin
Exton and West Chester Locations
610-280-7071
www.couturelaserandskin.com
Sally Balin Medical Center
110 Chesley Drive Media, PA
610-565-3300
www.balin.com
Rencic Dermatology
Crossroads Center, 1102 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA
610-558-1446
www.rencicderm.com
Cirillo Cosmetic Dermatology Spa
919 Conestoga Road, Bldg Two, St 105, Rosemont, PA
610-525-5029
www.cirillocosmetic.com |
