MEDICAL

RADIESSE®, Lumenis®   

Our hands are always on public display - greeting others, making gestures, typing, dining, caressing - and people observe our hands nearly as often as our face when gauging our appearance. Nevertheless, the face seems to get more cosmetic attention than the hands, which usually are treated simply with lotions and nail polish. It is time for you to put your "Best Hand Forward" with a Hand Lift, a combination of procedures that slow or reverse the signs of aging on the back of your hands. The skin here thins as we age, wrinkles, and develops brown spots. The thinning also makes the bones, tendons and veins of the hands more visible, which gives an even more aged look. The hand lift includes the injection of dermal filler to plump the hands along with intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy and chemical peels on the hands and arms to minimize brown spots and fine lines. 

HOW THE HANDS AGE

There is comparatively little fat on the backs of the hands, so when even a small amount of collagen begins to break down - part of the normal aging process and partly due to sun exposure - the hands become wrinkly, skin texture becomes crepe-like, and the veins, tendons and bones become more noticeable. Depending on how much sun exposure is experienced earlier in life, brown spots may appear that age your hands.     

HOW WE GET THE UPPER HAND

 As a first step, a dermal filler Radiesse is injected into multiple locations under the first layer of skin and then massaged into place. This fills in the depressions between the tendons and veins to reduce the bony appearance of the hands and makes the vein prominences less noticeable. Radiesse stimulates the formation of new collagen and adds volume to the underlying skin. This in turn promotes and maintains a smoother texture to the skin and relieves the crepe-like appearance. Typically, a hand lift utilizes two syringes of Radiesse (one for each hand) and the effects usually last for 18 months or longer.    Intense pulsed light (IPL) on the hands and arms is then used to remove or minimize brown spots and fine lines. In addition, chemical peels provide medium depth exfoliation to the hands and arms to help with moderate hyperpigmentation, lines and wrinkles. These improvements are prolonged with consistent use of sunscreen. However, maintenance treatment will help address new pigment changes that arise from past years spent in the sun that can take years to manifest.   

NUTRITION TIPS  

Just like the skin on your face, your hands need to be nourished to maintain a youthful glow. Eat foods that contain the essential fatty acids, i.e., salmon, sardines, nuts and fruit. Make sure your diet contains foods rich in antioxidents, i.e., avocados, berries and dark chocolate. Incorporate fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene, i.e., orange apricots, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes; green kale, spinach, and red-leaf lettuce, to help protect against sun damage. Stay hydrated.    

SKIN CARE TIPS  Exposure to the sun, wind and cold weather can quickly dry out hands. Try to limit the time your hands spend in water and in contact with soaps and detergents. Hot oil or paraffin wax treatments help keep skin supple. Use rubber gloves when doing housework and gardening. Keep hand cream around and use it several times a day and right before bed. And remember the nails. Always use a broad spectrum sunscreen on your hands year round. Using a skin lightening cream or hand exfoliant to slough off the top layer of skin will help fade spots.    

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Come in for a Cosmetic Assessment - we will assess your needs and recommend how we can help you put your "best hand forward."