Skin ageing is inevitable.
When looking after our skin, we often tend to pay attention to wrinkles on our face and neck, sagging skin and pigmentation.
What we tend to forget are our hands.
We use our hands more than we use our necks.
We handle kitchen chores, grapple with rough objects, and expose them to the elements with almost no care or little protection, especially in the tropics.
And so, our hands, together with our under-eyes and necks, tend to be the first parts of our body to show signs of ageing.
Many of us develop age or liver spots on our hands as we grow older.
These tend to gradually increase in quantity and size as we age, due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays and the elements.
Pigmentation lasers can be used to shatter and destroy the pigments on the skin.
Chemical peels and micro-dermabrasion can smooth out the texture and lighten pigmentation.
There are also some skin-lightening creams that can suppress the production of pigments.
Meanwhile, cryotherapy can be used to “freeze off” certain lesions.
As we age, our hands lose “fullness” or volume, which causes the skin to become lax and develop a crepe-paper-like texture.
The veins, tendons and bones of the hands also become more obvious.
Fillers, such as hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite or body fat, can be used to restore fullness to the hands.
“Bio-remodeling” skin injectables such as polynucleotide can also be used to plump up the skin in the hands.
Seek a doctor with experience in using such methods on hands if you desire such treatments.
Chronic sun damage causes our skin to thin and lose its elasticity.
As we age, the skin in our hands loses collagen and thins out.
UV radiation can speed up the loss of collagen and cause premature ageing in the skin of the hands.
Common treatments for this include lotions with retinols and glycolic acid, moisturisers, hand creams, lasers, or chemical peels every one to three months.
Our skin holds less water as we age with the loss in hyaluronic acid.
This may give a dry and rough appearance to the skin on our hands.
Common treatments to smoothen the appearance of our skin include lotions containing retinols and glycolic acid, moisturisers, hand creams and chemical peels.
These rough, scaly patches can form on your skin if you have been exposed to a significant amount of sun in your lifetime.
Get them checked by a doctor as some rough patches may be actinic keratoses that are precancerous growths.
They can occur earlier in people who have used tanning beds, or who have had a lot of sun exposure throughout their lives.
About one in every five persons has brittle nails, but the risk of developing these increases with age.
Brittle nails are characterised by lines or ridges across the nails.
To strengthen your nails, reduce habits that weaken them, such as leaving your hands wet for too long, using harsh chemicals or soaps, or not having a healthy diet and developing a nutritional deficiency.
Frequent fungal nail infections also tend to weaken your nails.
A doctor can help determine if you have brittle nails and treat them appropriately.
Habits that may help keep your hands supple and young include moisturising your hands regularly.
It is also essential to protect your hands from UV radiation to keep them looking young.
Apply ample sunscreen when you go out and reapply it after you wash your hands.
Wear sun-protective gloves or clothing when driving.
When working in the garden or with hot water, detergents and chemicals, always wear gloves.
Apply a lotion or cream after washing hands or a shower in order to maintain the barrier function of your skin, as well as trapping water in your skin to keep it supple and plump.
Dr Kwan Yuan Dong is a general practitioner (GP) in Singapore with a special interest in aesthetic medicine. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
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