What can I do about my old looking hands?

I have very old hands! They have age spots, wrinkled and thin skin, and show very large blood vessels. What can I do to get a fresh start with them? I take great care to eliminate sun damage to any exposed skin, consistently, every day, no matter what. So I would like to reset my hands to a much much earlier time and I WILL ensure that they never get sun exposure again.

I sometimes joke with my patients that hands and neck are now the “holy grail” of skin because it’s tough to really improve these areas.   Progress on “deaging” hands is being made though.  You didn’t tell me your age.  Here are some options.

First, look at your hands!  Is the problem more brown spots, loose, inelastic skin, enlarged veins, or loss of volume?  Or, a combination of these?   So, try to narrow it down if you can.

Brown spots are the easiest.  Several lasers or IPLs work well on these.  We use the Lumenis IPL system in our offices but there are other good lasers.  Find a good, experienced dermatology office to ensure the best results. The loose skin can be tightened up and improved with a series of light, fractionated CO2 or Fraxel laser treatments.  Some centers do hand vein injections to shrink the veins somewhat and then Juvederm/Restylane (some docs use Radiesse) to plump the backs of the hands.  Or, Juvederm/Restylane can be used alone with a nice result.  If your hands have all these issues, think a 1-2 year project to be realistic.   Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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