Hand Rejuvenation

Frequently people exert a lot if effort to make sure that their faces look good, but they neglect the appearance of their hands. When old appearing hands are coupled with a more youthful face, there is a disconnect that tells the observer that something is not quite right. There are a number of factors that contribute to an aged appearance of the hands.

First of all there is a loss of volume in the hands, as in other parts of the body. The hands may appear "bony" and the vessels more prominent. These "skeletonized" hands do not appear attractive. Previously we did not have a good treatment for this. Fat injections were used and the hands often looked puffy. Now, with the introduction of the newer filling agents (Restylane ,Juvederm and Radiesse ) a youthful looking hand structure can generally be created.
The appearance of the skin of the hand poses the second problem. The skin of the older hand is often wrinkled, discolored and sometimes rough. The Fraxel laser has recently been shown to be both safe and effective in improving both the texture and discoloration of the hand. While other modalities such as intense pulsed light (IPL) or the Krypton laser can produce improvement in discoloration, they do not address skin texture. The Sciton erbium YAG laser  and the ultrapulse CO2 laser can also improve skin texture and discoloration, but they have significant associated downtime and an increased risk of complications.
All in all, it seems that the combination of one of the newer fillers and the Fraxel laser is the best way to go for hand rejuvenation.

Gerald N. Bock MD
Stockton, CA
California Skin Laser Center