Aging Hands
Hands age no matter what we do. Sun exposure will make your hands look older faster, but there is another problem, volume loss. Volume loss occurs in the natural course of aging. Continuous use results in quicker loss of collagen in the hands compared with our faces. There is less fat on the hands to begin with, patients often complain their hands look skeletal.
The loss of volume that occurs with age can make your hands look much older than the rest of you. Veins become more prominent, tendons show and bones protrude. Eventually, years of sun exposure creates dark spots, thin skin, and fine lines. Many patients take such great care of their face but the hands don’t get nearly as much attention.
Treatment Options
Fillers
Fillers work in nearly every area of the face. They also work in your hands. At CPW Vein & Aesthetic Center we choose from a few fillers that are our “go-to” options for replacing volume in the backs of your hands – Radiesse, Restylane Lyft and Voluma. Radiesse has been used for about 5 years and has proven to be very successful. Restylane Lyft and Voluma both are reversible and last a long time. These two products seem to be taking the place of Radiesse. Either will accomplish the goal of restoring a more youthful look and feel to your hands. Results easily last up to a year.
M22 IPL
If you have dark spots, we typically will treat those first with our M22 IPL. Typically, it can take 2-3 treatments to reduce accumulated sun damage including brown, red spots as well as uneven skin tone. The repeat treatments are done every 4 weeks until we reach an optimal outcome.
Chemical Peels
Chemical Peels are specifically formulated to rejuvenate aging skin and help prevent future damage. CPW Vein & Aesthetic Center's Chemical Peels are very different from the standard. Everyone is different. We will spend have a consultation with you to discuss what is your best treatment option. Peels can help restore the skin tone because it:
Reduces the appearance of age spots
Brightens even the most stubborn areas of discoloration
Smooths away rough skin texture
Soften fine lines and wrinkles
Restore a more even skin tone
Contraindications
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Immune system disorders
Phenol allergy
Aspirin allergy
Inflamed skin with open wounds
Isotretinoin (Accutane®) use in the past 3 months
Active cold sores or herpes simplex
Liver condition
Procedure
Some patients choose to come into the office roughly 30 minutes before their appointment time so we can apply a numbing cream to make sure it is a painless procedure. However, most patients do not use any numbing and easily tolerate the procedure. Jessica Plotnick, PA-C will inject filler into the tops of the hands to refill the lost volume, making them smooth and soft.
Each filler treatment lasts for up to a year. Both the IPL and filler treatments take about fifteen minutes. Downtime is minimal. Some patients can have slight swelling of their hands for up to 2 weeks after the filler treatment. We recommend for patients not to wear any rings for the first week after the procedure and until after all of the swelling has subsided. We also recommend wearing sunscreen after the IPL treatments.