Time-Proof Your Hands

Your face may be baby-soft and creaseless, but your hands will always give your age away. The passing years show on an aging woman’s hands, however well-preserved the rest of her body may be.

The wrinkles, enlarged veins, and prominent tendons on her hands will tell the story of her years. Even a woman in her early 30s may already have wrinkled and dry-looking hands. This is not due to her age, but on the lifestyle she leads.

There are several factors for old-looking hands. One of them is exposure to sunlight because this breaks down collagen which keeps skin supple and firm.

Fat in your hands thins out as you age. This, along with everything else, makes your hands look bony and your veins stand out. Another factor would be overworking. Doing a lot of typing, encoding, writing, and other hand movements daily overuses your hands.

All work and no rest for them may also induce poor blood circulation, leading to varicose veins and spider veins or sudden numbness. Frequent hand washing can also dry skin as well as smoking.

The tar in cigarettes passes through the bloodstream and capillaries, affecting the inner layer of the skin where wrinkles occur.

To prevent your hands from drying and wrinkling, it is necessary to improve blood circulation and hydrate them. Experts advise that you don’t need to use soap in every wash, assuming, of course, that you didn’t come into close contact with certain viruses and bacteria.

Too much use of soaps and hand cleansers dries skin easily. Hand sanitizers make better alternatives. And if you do wash your hands often and feel that you have to, apply moisturizing cream after washing.

If your facial moisturizers contain retinoid and alpha hydoxy acid, it will work well on your hands. These ingredients will help build collagen and plump your skin. Other moisturizing ingredients are shea butter, olive oil, glycerin, and vitamin E. A product with protective sunscreen is also recommended.

Aside from stimulating blood circulation, a massage speeds up absorption of moisturizers and creams. Massage palms and the back of your hands using upward and downward strokes. Better yet, you can treat yourself to a hand spa every so often.

Aging hands that cannot be rejuvenated by moisturizers and creams may need this. Paraffin hand treatments are said to be very helpful. Hands are submerged in heated wax, usually several times, to allow moisture to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin.

The hands are then covered with a plastic wrap and mitts to keep the paraffin working on your skin for at least ten minutes. The result: smooth, supple hands.

There are also hand restoration treatments you can look into. A machine softens, firms, and lessens wrinkles. The therapy involves gliding two probes over your hands as the gadget sends electrical impulses to your muscles to tighten them and stimulate cell rejuvenation.

Remember to always take care of every part of your body. People often forget about their extremities. It’s time they give it some attention.