Take Care of Your Hands

Many women undergo from dry, crumpled and blotchy look skin on their hands. Dermatologists propose the next tips to keep hands younger looking:

1. What you do for you face-you do for your hands: And that means, massage, moisturize and an occasional manicure which is the equivalent of ‘facials’ for the hands.

2. For very dry hands- Water is the main culprit of this condition. We tend to wash our hands more frequently than our faces. Often harsh anti bacterial soaps can wash away the lipids (fat molecules that hold on to the moisture). So using a gentle cleanser/moisturizing face wash on your hands can control excessive dryness.

3. Moisturizing- Hand creams containing glycerin work great and if you find these too greasy, one can wipe off the excess with a tissue. To battle redness, try products with aloe and calming chamomile etc. Many women find that the simple trick of slathering on Vaseline on their hands and covering it with cotton gloves overnight works great and results in well moisturized hands the next morning.

4. Age spots and wrinkles- Prescription or over-the-counter hydroquinone and kojic acids containing creams work great on the facial age spots, so why should hands be any different? However diligence is the key and one has to apply these regularly to see results.

5. Laser- This is an expensive treatment that definitely works. Helpful in taking care of both wrinkled hands and age spots, laser treatment may require multiple sittings. Fractional laser treatments are also available but these have received mixed reviews. Also, after the treatment, one has to continue using sunscreen on hands and face as age spots can reappear.