Your hands will reveal your age. So don’t forget to give them the love and treatment they deserve.
This post will guide you on how to prevent and treat hand wrinkles and brown spots. For youthful looking hands years to come.
You’ll find the following in this post:
Why are your hands looking old?
How to treat wrinkles and brown spots on hands
My best tips
Treatments to consider
What about fillers for hands?
How get younger looking hands fast
Summary
Why are your hands looking old?
Unlike most body parts, your hands and face will be exposed to sunlight daily. Which is the major cause of loss of collagen and elastin (aka causing wrinkles). As well as brown spots.
But unlike the face, the skin on your hands is also exposed to repeated washing and hand sanitizer. Which makes them extra vulnerable to dehydration and aging.
Another factor is that your hands will lose fat as you age. And therefor lose youthful volume.
Fat loss is not so easy to tackle. Even weight gain doesn’t always help when it comes to fat already lost on your hands. But treating and counteracting wrinkles and brown spots will definitely give your hands a more youthful appearance. So let’s dig into how to do that!
How to treat wrinkles and brown spots on hands
I will start to list my personal tips that I have found the most effective. And then include some other treatments that may be worth to consider, but with a word of warning.
My best tips
Let’s talk about the best ways to keep the skin on your hands as young as possible! Especially long term.
1 – SUNSCREEN
Sunscreen is just as important on your hands as on your face. Every day of the year (this post explains why). Even on very cloudy days.
It is common to forget sunscreen on the hands. I used to forget it too. But since you wash your hands several times per day, you will need to apply even more, and more often!
Always have a tube of sunscreen in your bag or pocket. In order to easily re-apply it on your hands during the day. This is super important if you want to have youthful hands!
Also, make sure it has SPF 50 and that you use it even on cloudy days and while driving. This is a must since UVA rays penetrates clouds and windows. And UVA are the part of the sun rays that ages your skin the most.
If you live in an area where you can buy the sunscreen EVY, I higly recommend you use it for your hands. Evy penetrates deep into your skin and keep protecting you from sun rays even after washing.
This post explains even more about sun and skin damage. And explains more in detail about how to choose an effective sunscreen.
During the cold months you should of course use gloves instead. Which will protect from both sun and cold.
2 – USE RETINOL
Even if your face is sensitive to retinol (like mine is), your hands will most likely tolerate it better.
Retinol is an excellent treatment for the kind of wrinkles that develop on your hands. And it helps to treat brown spots too!
My post about retinol explains more about this skincare ingredient. Just remember that your face might be very sensitive to it but your hands might not be.
So what retinol cream should you use? A very nourishing and mild retinol cream that I love is this one from Beauty Pie. And this one from Facetheory.
But if you have retinol creams at home already that you face may not tolerate, I suggest you try using on your hands. Instead of throwing it away, because they can be quite expensive. See how you tolerate it.
Tip: If you are pregnant or nursing, I highly recommend you see my post about Bakuchiol. Retinol should not be used while pregnant or nursing.
4 – USE MICROCURRENT
I am a huge fan of microcurrent. As you can read more about in this post.
This technology is perfect to use on your face since it lifts, tightens, and plumps your face (thus great for treating nasolabial folds and marionette lines). BUT, it also increases the production of collagen and elastin and therefore reduces wrinkles when used over time.
Another bonus is that it increases the production of hyaluronic acid in the skin. Making your skin naturally smoother and more hydrated, even without creams. In other words, a perfect technology to use to reverse the aging of your hands!
It does take some time though. You’ll need to invest at least a few minutes per hand a few times per week. Understandable, you might prefer to invest that time on your face instead. At least I do now when I have a limited amount of time to spend on my beauty routines. And since my hands are in pretty good shape at least for now. But I will for sure start using it more on my hands in future.
Tips: For all of you with a lack of time for beauty routines, see my busy moms beauty hacks to see my best recommendations.
My favorite microcurrent device is called ZIIP. It is developed for the face and have 14 different programs that will tone, lift, and tighten your face as well as reduce wrinkles over time. It is truly a game changer for the face and the only device I use these days.
A true treasure for the face. But ZIIP is also effective and super easy to use on your hands! For this I recommend the program called Founder’s favorite. You won’t feel anything at all but it is very effective in increasing your collagen production as well your own production of hyluronic acid.
Even though it is developed for the face, it is perfect to use on your hands as well. The device is very simple to use, and you only need one hand. Making it perfect to use on your other hand and then switch.
In contrast to other microcurrent devices it also utilizes nanocurrent. Which is even more effective for preventing and reducing wrinkles when used over time. For the hands, I would recommend a program (called Founder’s favorite) that only uses nanocurrent.
You can read more about ZIIP here. And if you decide to try it yourself, the code ZIIPWITHANN will give you a 15 % discount (if you don’t live in the US, got to Currentbody instead and use the same code).
5 – MOISTURIZE
Since your hands have to endure quite a lot of wear and tear, they will dry out faster than any other part of your body.
Washing and sanitizing is often necessary, but over time it can be a challenge to keep the skin barrier on your hands intact. Especially during the winter when the air is cold and dry and more harsh on the skin in general.
When you skin barrier loose function, your skin can become rough and inflamed. And even make you more prone to skin allergies and infections.
The solution is to moisturize. And to use a moisturizer with fats since the fat protects the skin barrier from all the washing and sanitizing.
In the winter, always think the greasier the better. Because the fat also protects against the cold climate. You can for example use this cream from INIKA (you’ll also find it here). But a less expensive cream will do just fine. For example, this cream from Cerave is perfect for dry hands especially in the winter.
Another tip is to definitely avoid creams with hyaluronic acid during the winter months (if you live far from the equator). That goes for the face too, and this post explains why. Instead, make sure to boost your own hyaluronic acid production with these tips.
6 – EAT A HEALTHY DIET
Diet plays a larger role in your skin’s aging process than you might think. What you choose to eat can either increase the formation of wrinkles, or help prevent and regenerate signs of aging.
To help your skin thrive, you need to get plenty of antioxidants such as carotenoids in your food daily. As well as enough protein and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Most vitamins and minerals are essential for your skin health too.
I’ve summarized exactly what you should be eating and why, to cover all your skin needs. So I recommend you check out my diet plan for tighter skin. This will make your face younger and more glowing too.
7 – USE A RED LIGHT HAND MASK
Red light is another technology that helps increase collagen and decrease wrinkles. It can also helps with some types of hyperpigmentation and can have promising results on brown spots on hands.
I have a separate blog post that explains about red light therapy. I recommend you read it to learn the details and to see the pros and cons of using it. For the hands, I definitely recommend it.
If you want to try red light for your hands I recommend the Currentbody Skin Led Hand Perfector. It is super simple to use. Just plug it in and place your hands inside the tube. Use it 10 minutes (or less) and you’re done.
My Skin Led Hand Perfector from Currentbody. A hand mask designed as a tube. You place both hands inside and turn it on for ten minutes and you’re done.
Treatments to consider (with a word of warning)
Laser
Laser therapy is a popular treatment for removing or lightening brown spots. And seems to be more effective than microdermabrasion and chemical peels.
Some laser treatments are also said to stimulate collagen production and therefor tighten loose skin.
Be aware though that there is always a risk of lasers causing scarring, dyspigmentation, and infection. And I am personally too scared of that to use laser in my face. On my hands I might try it in the future if I were to get a large brown spot that bothers me. Just might. Time will tell.
Cryotherapy (freezing)
Cryotherapy, also called Cryosurgery, is a treatment that freezes your brown spots and makes them peel off the skin. And I tried it about ten years ago.
I used to have a brown spot on my right hand that was about 5 mm in diameter. And I decided to try cryotherapy to remove it.
I ended up with a large blister and then a quite big white spot (scar) from the blister. It doesn’t bother me much today and I prefer the white spot over the brown spot. But I will not use it again.
Thankfully I haven’t had more spots like this. And I credit my dedication to sunscreens for that.
White scar on the middle of the back of my hand, after using cryotherapy ten years ago. I got a white spot instead of a brown spot.
What about fillers for hands?
Can dermal injections help bony hands with thin skin? Well, you will easily find a lot of marketing of dermal fillers for both hands and face. Promising it can plump up aging skin and restore lost volume. But how good is it really?
I have a throughout article about the side effects and risks of dermal fillers. You find it here. For example, dermal fillers stays in your skin for much much longer than what was previously believed. But it also migrates over time and can move to different places where you don’t want them. Fillers can also cause nodules in the skin.
Dissolving fillers can cause even more fat loss and make the original problem a lot worse. For those reason I will not recommend those so called temporary dermal fillers, especially not in the face.
Fat injections (using your own body fat) are also an option, but it is not considered all safe and can also cause lumpiness and uneveness. So I can not recommend that either.
How can I make my hands look younger fast?
Sometimes you just want fast results. But is it possible to get younger looking hands overnight?
Here is a solution that can give you a more youthful appearance overnight. Using nothing more than simple home remedies.
Of course it will not give more than a temporary effect, but sometimes that is much needed.
This is what you need:
A couple of plastic gloves, if you have that at home. Or just use plastic bags intended for food.
Two rubber bands or hair ties that fits your wrists well.
Either a rich cream with lots of natural oils, or a mixture of for olive oil, avocado, and honey.
Put plenty of the cream or mixture in the gloves or plastic bags. Then, right before you hit the bed, place your hands in each one and put on the rubber band or your wrist. Sleep with it and wash it off the next morgning. Enjoy your (temporary) wrinkle free and glowing hands!
Personally I prefer to use my hand cream full of oils such as avocado oil, argan oil, apricot oil, and coconut oil. Plus cocoa butter, shea butter, and a lot more. It’s just perfect as a mask overnight and you find it here and here.
Summary
Your hands can age quickly since they are exposed to a lot of sunlight. They can also become dehydrated due to repeated washing and daily wear.
The most important solution is sunscreen every day of the year (or gloves).
Lots of moisturizer, retinol (at night), and a skin friendly diet will help too.
Treatments that are effective and safe for the skin on your hands are microcurrent and red light therapy.
Laser and cryotherapy can be effective for removing brown spots. But they come with some risks and can leave a scar.
Dermal fillers are heavily marketed by clinics promising a quick fix for smoother hands. It is not a long-term solution and comes with several risks such as nodules and uneveness.
I hope this post was helpful! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or experience you would like to share.
Until next time, love your skin!