Hands Up!
Start Making Hand Care Part of Your Skin Care Regimen
By Cora Ciaramello
L.E., C.P.E., LMT Aesthetician
All those who want to keep their fingers and dorsals in prime condition, raise your hands.
Dorsals?
Yes, dorsals … the upper side of our hands; the flip side of our palms. While our palms are the work horses, grasping, pulling and tugging throughout the day, the dorsal side is most delicate.
The skin is thin and fragile, much like the neck and décolleté areas we covered in our last blog, “Save Your Neck.” And similarly, can begin showing signs of age as early as our 40s.
These signs occur as dark brown spots, other discoloration, and loss of volume resulting in thin, sometimes seemingly transparent skin that reveals the veins and tendons underneath. Like our necks and décolleté areas, our hands need special attention early on to keep signs of aging at bay.
Unfortunately, too many women tend to forget about their hands when caring for their skin, according to aestheticians and other specialists. They may slather on the hand cream daily, or even several time a day, but that ritual is not enough to delay signs of aging.
As professionals here at Changes Spa & Aesthetics, Kim and I know that ‘slathering’ with even the finest hand creams is not necessarily the answer to keeping them youthful looking.
Hands need the same regular care and attention given to the rest of you in order to retain and maintain a healthy and youthful appearance. We have special hand treatments we recommend for revitalizing hands and delaying signs of aging. Often, clients will add them to their regular care. They include:
• An anti-aging peel and
• A special treatment with LED light
Both come highly recommended by clients who have seen marked improvement in the appearance of their hands.
Dorsal Vulnerability
Busy moms are especially vulnerable to dorsal wear and tear: hands in and out of water all day rinsing dishes, giving the littles their daily baths, scrubbing sinks and more. Not to mention all the chauffeuring and car-pooling moms do.
With hands constantly on steering wheels, the dorsal side is in direct contact with the sun’s ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation that passes through window glass and penetrates the deepest layers of skin.
This exposure can lead to the types of sun damage that prematurely age our hands.
Indeed, skin specialists agree that the majority of damage done to our hands’ dorsal side is the result of sun exposure.
But even trips to a favorite manicurist can be damaging to the delicate dorsal side of our hands when they are exposed to harmful UV rays during gel manicures. Equally damaging are drying lamps used during natural nail manicures.
However, we can all preserve the appearance of our hands with proper sun protection. Here are some tips!
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher on the hands and reapply throughout the day, especially after frequent hand washing.
• Keep a tube of sunscreen in the car and apply before driving. Use a hand cream with added sunscreen to provide a base layer of protection to the hands.
• Wear gloves when doing yard work or playing outdoor sports. Golfers should consider wearing a glove on each hand to cover the back of the hands.
• Topicals containing glycolic acid or antioxidants are a good way to stimulate repair from sun damage on hands. However, topicals must be started early before damage is too extensive.
• Hydroquinone, tretinoin and retinoids cannot completely reverse signs of aging hands, but these topicals can be used to improve the skin and prevent further damage.
(Source: www.skininc.com)
Here at Changes Spa & Aesthetics, we pay attention to all of you … including your hands. We have the products and treatments to help you develop a care regimen that will help delay the hands of time!
To make an appointment, call 973-588-3668; or book online here @ChangesSkin.com.
Changes Spa & Aesthetics
420 Boulevard
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
(973) 588-3668