When it comes to anti-aging products, our number one priority is usually the face. Fighting the crow’s feet around our eyes, expression lines on our foreheads, and wrinkles around our mouths is like a crusade. Some of us even put in hours at the gym to prevent Father Time from etching his way across our stomach, arms, and backside with sagging skin and unsightly fat pockets.
But there’s one area that many of us overlook in our anti-aging fight – and it’s a spot that can show our age just as surely as any lines or wrinkles on our faces.
Our hands.
In fact, the skin on your hands can actually age more quickly than your face. That’s because there isn’t much fat beneath the skin on the back of the hand, so when collagen and elastin begins to wear down due to sun damage and normal aging, wrinkles are more pronounced, veins start to bulge, and the skin may develop a crepey texture. The hands are also a prime location for brown spots and other age-related hyperpigmentation issues.
Which means that even if the skin on your face makes you look like you’re ten years younger, your hands may be a pretty stark reality check as to just how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
That’s why it’s important to incorporate hand products into your anti-aging routine. In some cases, you may not even have to purchase any additional items. Bioelements’ LightPlex is a clinical skin brightener that uses ferulic and citric acids to exfoliate the skin and botanicals like rosemary, lemon and lime to help brighten so age spots fade and your skin is clearer. While it’s primarily intended for use on the face, Bioelements recommends using it as a daily hand treatment to fade brown spots and other discoloration on your hands too.
If your hands need a little more anti-aging help, though, a dedicated hand product may be a better option. Bioelement’s Sleepwear for Hands is an overnight treatment designed specifically to improve the look of dry, wrinkled, and damaged skin on the hands. The cream contains calcium, alpha-arbutin, peptides, and cranberry seed oil to smooth, plump, soften, and brighten the skin on your hands. Apply it every night before bed by gently massaging a small amount into your hands.
For hands that are severely dehydrated or chapped due to cold weather, opt for an intensive moisture treatment. Dermalogica’s Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment is an intensely hydrating but non-greasy formula that uses vitamins and botanicals to soothe chapped hands and strengthen your nails to prevent splitting and peeling. It’s also fragrance- and dye-free so it works well for sensitive skin. gloTherapeutics Luxury Hand Cream is another option if you need deep hydrations for your hands. It contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, and other botanicals that moisturize and soothe the skin on your hands.
It’s also important to get in the habit of applying to your hands on a daily basis. Sun damage is the number one culprit in premature aging, and while you probably remember to protect your face each morning, you may not be as diligent about guarding your hands against aging UV rays. If you don’t have a dedicated sunscreen for your body, use a little of your facial sunscreen or moisturizer that contains SPF on your hands — just make sure that it has at least an SPF30.