Did you know that our hands are the first to show signs of ageing? And is it any wonder, considering the amount of work our hands do and the daily elements or harsh substances they get exposed to. With constant hand washing and sanitisation, a common practice today to maintain our personal hygiene, you may notice your hands feeling dry and rough. Along with thinning skin due to ageing, our hands are definitely in need of a little more tender loving care. Below we discuss how you can get younger-looking hands and restore #confidenceinyourhands.
Protect
As we all know, exposure to UV rays causes overproduction of melanin and causes DNA damage which leads to dark spots, wrinkles, and loose skin. Just like how you take care of your face by applying sunscreen, you should also do the same to the backs of your hands. This is especially if you know you’re going to be spending the day in the sun, or even if you’re in a car driving.
Common household cleaning agents such as dish and laundry detergent as well as bleach can be drying and can cause irritation and the skin on your hands to peel. Wear a pair of rubber gloves while washing the laundry and dishes or when doing any heavy duty cleaning around the house.
Exfoliate
If you work a lot with your hands or work out frequently with heavy weights and barbells—calluses and patches of dry, dead skin are sure to form. Regular exfoliation can keep the skin on your hands soft and smooth. You can mix your own scrub out of sugar, coconut oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and make it a weekly routine. The sugar gently exfoliates any dry patches while acting as a humectant to draw moisture to the skin, coconut oil helps soften and soothe dry itchy skin, while lemon juice helps brighten and tone the skin.
DIY your hand scrub using sugar, coconut oil and a squeeze of lemon juice
Moisturise
We can’t emphasise this point enough, moisturise your hands after every wash and sanitisation. Hand sanitisers have a
high level of alcohol content which is what makes it so effective at killing germs. This alcohol will dry your hands out especially with how often we have to sanitise our hands during a pandemic. Pop a small tube of hand cream in your bag and make it a habit of applying a dollop of cream post-sanitisation to keep the skin on your hands healthy and smooth. Want to give your hands some extra love? Apply a thick layer of cream and put on a pair of gloves/socks over your hands before you go to sleep at night and wake up with baby soft hands you’ll love.
Consider Fillers
As we age, volume loss happens and our hands start to look bony and veins are more obvious. Collagen Elastin Intensifier fillers are a semi-permanent option for more youthful-looking hands. Injected under the skin, these fillers fill up the hollows on the backs of your hands, plumping up the skin from within to reduce the prominence of veins and tendons, while stimulating new collagen and elastin production to improve the appearance of visible fine lines and wrinkles.