When we search for ways to make ourselves look younger, the face is often the focal point-- understandably so. Our face is what we see in the mirror and what others see first. The messages we convey through our face often carry more weight than words or actions.Naturally, we want our faces to reflect the youthful and warm personality that lies beneath. There are thousands of over-the-counter creams, lotions, astringents, masks and other products designed to protect and enhance the facial skin. Cosmetic surgery provides a myriad of long lasting ways to keep our faces looking young and rejuvenated.
But, what about our hands? While not often the first thing people look at, or the thing we focus on most about ourselves, hands are also an important tool for communication. Our hands are bound to be noticed eventually, when we gesture in conversation, shake another's hand, receive or give something. In the struggle to retain our youth, hands now hold our attention.
Cosmetic companies are beginning to market hand treatments containing the same ingredients used in facial products to keep us looking good. Antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids, collagen, and other beauty enhancers are finding their way into our hand products. The amount of money we spend at nail salons is also increasing. According to an industry magazine, nail salons brought in a cumulative seven billion dollars in the United States in 2004 alone. This figure is up nearly ten percent from the previous year.
Beauty spas-- traditionally serving up facials, waxing, massages and the like—are now offering luxury hand services. "Hand facials", paraffin wax treatments, anti-aging serum applications, and other lavish cosmetic hand treatments are commonly offered at beauty spas today. Some dermatologists warn, however, that these opulent hand treatments may be no more effective than the drugstore moisturizer.
When it comes to the hands, dryness is usually a chief complaint. We use our hands all day long and wash them (with chemical soaps and detergents) more than we do any other body part. Exposure to the sun, weather, and various chemicals wears on the hands, causing a loss of moisture, skin tightness, and more. Skin products with humectants (i.e. glycerin) and emollients (i.e. petroleum jelly, lanolin, mineral oil) reduce moisture loss and soften troublesome hand skin. To find a good product, dermatologists recommend doing the heel test: apply one brand to one heel and a second to the other. Whichever does the best job on this thick tough skin will probably work best on the hands.
As we age, our hands are also prone to develop wrinkles and brown spots, thin, and develop a rougher texture. Specially formulated cosmetic hand treatments-those containing vitamins, retinoids, alpha hydroxy acid, fatty acids, skin lighteners and aminos-are designed to reverse or slow these signs of aging. According to the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Mark Jewell, collagen is not beneficial in any hand cream or lotion because the molecules are too large to penetrate the skin.
Cosmetic surgery also provides a number of ways to enhance the hands. Cosmetic procedures traditionally used on the face-microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser resurfacing-can effectively smooth out hand skin, even out its color, eliminate rough patches, brown spots, and wrinkles, and promote collagen growth. With aging, people lose some of the fatty tissues under the hand skin, making the hands look older and "hallowed out." Restylane and Sculptra, dermal fillers, can successfully plump up the hand skin to reduce and reverse the signs of aging. Sclerotherapy, a procedure commonly used to diminish the appearance of varicose veins on the legs, can be used to reduce the appearance of veins on the back of the hands.
Cosmetic surgery offers the most effective ways to reduce the signs of aging in our hands and keep them looking young and healthy.