By now you probably already know that 1. age is inevitable and 2. age affects every part of your body. While most of us are concerned with how aging affects our skin, hair and faces, we often forget about our hands. Our hands frequently bear the brunt of aging and can make us look older. Dr. Christy Walker, a dual-board-certified cosmetic surgeon and gynecologist in Plano, Texas, can help restore a youthful appearance to your hands.
What Causes Hands to Age?
The things that cause aging of the hands are the same things that cause the signs of aging on the rest of your body: time, genetics, and environmental and behavioral factors. Find out more about how these factors affect your hands:
Age. Age affects both the quality of the skin and the quality of our fat. While most people don’t think of fat as something desirable, fat is a necessity for our bodies. It helps to keep us warm and cushion our organs. It also helps to fill out our skin, which keeps us wrinkle-free. The peak of fat quality occurs between the ages of 18 and 20, and shortly after that our fat quality and quantity begins to wane. For your hands, which already have very thin fat pads, this is serious business. When the fat pads of your hands become thin, the knuckles, bones and blood vessels are easily seen, which makes your hands look older.
Genetics. Like the aging process, genetics play a role in how your hands look, too. Some people are predisposed to premature aging of the hands because their mother and grandmother had premature aging of the hands. Don’t worry, Dr. Walker can help overcome your predisposition to premature aging.
Environmental Factors. Aging of the hands often occurs because we use them for, well, most things! They are frequently exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures, chemicals from cleaning products and the damaging rays of the sun (do you remember to put sunscreen on your hands when going outdoors?). All of these factors can cause premature aging of the hands by affecting skin quality.
Behavioral Factors. On top of aging, genetic predisposition to premature aging and the effects of environmental factors, behavioral factors also contribute to aging hands. One of these factors is smoking. Smoking negatively affects skin quality by depleting collagen and elastin, which leaves your skin thin. Excessive alcohol consumption can also cause skin quality to decline.
Despite the adverse effects of these factors on your hands, Dr. Walker can offer you hope in the form of hand rejuvenation treatments. Dr. Walker offers a wide variety of laser treatments and chemical peels to treat skin pigmentation problems and unsightly veins; fat transfers and dermal fillers to replace lost volume; and tissue-tightening treatments to improve the appearance of wrinkles and reduce sagging skin.
Want to improve the appearance of your hands? Call Dr. Walker today for a consultation at 972-696-2963.
