Most of us have skincare routines for our face, but often overlooked are two of the most important areas for anti-aging: Hands & Neck.
Growing up we all heard from our parents, family friends, and our favorite beauty gurus that if you want to tell a person’s age, look at their neck and hands. As a kid that phrase doesn’t make much sense, what do hands have to do with age? Eventually, as we get older and wiser, we see what they were talking about. Thinning and crepey skin, brown spots, and wrinkles. Luckily for you, we have all the tips and tricks to not only prevent signs of aging in your hands and neck, but to reverse them as well!
Why do our neck and hands start to look older?
For one, as you age you start to lose elasticity in your skin. This is due to natural changes in your hormone levels, the older you are the less collagen your skin produces. Hormonal shifts also slow down the production of a protein in the skin called elastin. Both men and women experience a gradual decline after the age of 30, but women see an abrupt decline at the start of menopause. Collagen and elastin are found in the connective tissues in our skin and give it the ability to stretch and snap back into place. Without those proteins your skin starts to sag and look crepey.
Why is it more apparent on your hands and neck? As we age we tend to lose subcutaneous fat. The areas around our neck and hands naturally have less fat than the rest of our bodies so this loss is more noticeable. When the skin starts to loosen it has nothing under it to keep it looking full, which leads to a bony and saggy appearance. Throughout this process the skin also becomes more translucent, making veins and tendons more visible.
The other big factor that causes skin on our hands and necks to age is sun exposure. UV radiation from the sun can cause invisible damage to the cells which can cause a loss of elasticity, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and even cancer.
Here are a few things you can do to prevent the loss of elastin and collagen:
For starters, try adding a vitamin C serum to your skincare routine. Along with being a great way to combat dark spots, it has been shown to promote the growth of collagen in the skin. Another easy addition is a nightly retinol, this is absolutely essential because it promotes cell turnover and strengthens your elastin fibers, all of which helps to keep your skin tight and youthful. We love the Alastin Renewal Retinol. It comes in a .25% and a .5% retinol content. The lower concentration formula is great for those just trying out retinol for the first time, or for those with sensitive skin.
The single best thing to fight UV rays is sunscreen. We all think about putting sunscreen on our face everyday, and our whole body on sunny beach days, but do we think about our hands? Our hands get more sun than one might think, especially during activities like driving, gardening, hiking, biking, tennis and more. For an easy way to prevent sun-damage on your hands, we recommend finding a hand creme that doubles as sun protection. Two of our favorates are Supergoops Handscreen or Sun Bums Sunscreen Hand Cream. Another approach is an old-school method of prevention... wear gloves with UPF protection for different occasions. This sounds like a hassle, but an easy way to start is to keep a pair of driving gloves in your car. They have the added bonus of being effortlessly classy and totally adorable.
If your hands and neck are showing signs of sun damage, don’t worry... it's not too late to reverse signs of sun-damage and skin elasticity!
We have a treatment specifically designed to target signs of aging on hands and neck that uses a combination of RF Microneedling and LaseMD laser skin resurfacing. The treatment can be done year around and on any skin type. It requires 3-6 sessions, depending upon your specific needs, with 6 weeks in between each session.
First we start with RF Microneedling, which increases skin elasticity by creating micro punctures in the skin. Your body responds to the injuries by sending healing factors to the wound sites and producing new stores of collagen and elastin to fill in furrows and replace damaged skin layers. We use the Secret RF Microneedling device by Cutera. What makes this device so effective is that it allows us to deliver fully customizable, targeted radio frequency deeper into the skin than other devices. It is perfect for addressing deep set wrinkles and skin laxity.
Then we follow our Secret RF Microneedling treatment with our LaseMD skin resurfacing laser. This non-ablative laser helps improve a variety of skin concerns including sun damage, fine lines, uneven skin tone, and texture. It delivers heat deep into the layers of skin to stimulate production of elastin and collagen. The controlled heat encourages your body's natural healing response to restore the tissues and improve the appearance and texture of your skin. Another benefit of LaseMD laser is that as you treat the visible signs of sun damage, you are also treating the invisible signs that pose the greatest threat to your health. The laser resurfacing treatment can eliminate damaged cells before they have the chance to pose a greater threat to your health. This versatile and completely customizable treatment helps rejuvenate all skin types all year long.
Schedule your hands and neck treatment by calling or texting (810) 852-2514.
Incorporate these tips and treatments into your skincare and anti-aging routine and never worry about your hands or neck giving away your age again!