The hands are among the first parts of our bodies to show signs of aging. Yet while we tend to take good care of our faces with retinol, serums and masks, the skin on our hands rarely receives the same attention, even though it faces many of the same aging forces.
Featured experts
- Janine Hopkins, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Southlake, TX
- Dr. Janet Allenby is a board-certified dermatologist in Delray Beach, FL
“The hands age for the same reasons the face does—years of cumulative UV exposure and collagen loss,” says Southlake, TX dermatologist Janine Hopkins, MD. “My philosophy is simple: treat the backs of your hands with as much care as you treat your face—with sunscreen reapplied throughout the day, UV-protective driving gloves and medical-grade skin care.”
Delray Beach, FL dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby adds that those changes can carry an emotional weight. “Aging hands are especially distressing for patients. They look down, see the change and the aging process really hits home. For some patients, it ’s the only thing that brings them in for aesthetic treatment.”
Ahead, we’re diving deeper into how to prevent and treat aging hands, from the skin-care ingredients worth extending below the wrist to the in-office treatments that target spots, texture and volume loss.
Anti-Aging Your hands at Home
Youthful-looking hands start with a solid skin-care routine that extends beyond the face. “Healthy skin is maintained by protecting DNA, reducing oxidative stress and supporting collagen,” says Dr. Hopkins. When shopping for skin-care products, she looks “for formulations that combine powerful antioxidants such as resveratrol and vitamin C with signal peptides, growth factors and hyaluronic acid to improve skin resilience, hydration and repair.” She notes that emerging clinical data also supports “topical trans-resveratrol for improving visible wrinkles, while peptide-based formulations continue to show promise for enhancing skin quality and extracellular matrix health.”
In practice, that can be as simple as extending your facial skin care to the backs of your hands. “Products containing DNA-repair enzymes, antioxidants, peptides and growth factors can complement daily sun protection,” Dr. Hopkins says.
Brown spots are often one of the first things patients want to treat on their hands, but Dr. Hopkins warns that they aren’t always purely cosmetic. “Every new or changing brown spot should be evaluated by a dermatologist, as skin cancer can mimic an age spot,” she notes. If skin care doesn’t totally wipe away age spots, in-office treatments can help.
Anti-Aging Hands With In-Office Treatments
“When sun damage or collagen loss becomes more advanced, treatments like IPL, laser rejuvenation and collagen-stimulating Radiesse injections can restore both skin quality and youthful volume,” Dr. Hopkins continues. For age spots, Dr. Allenby typically turns to lasers, though she says light peels can offer some improvement when downtime isn’t an option. Dr. Hopkins also recommends pairing pigment-targeting treatments with diligent sun protection to help prevent discoloration from returning, along with an effective skin-care routine to maintain the results.
Volume loss and prominent veins call for a different approach. Dr. Hopkins favors Radiesse because “it not only restores volume immediately but also stimulates your own collagen for results that can last 18 to 24 months.”
Dr. Allenby often uses hyaluronic acid filler to restore volume in the backs of the hands. “Hyaluronic acid under the skin maintains more hydration to the tissue, so the hands become noticeably softer while the tendons and veins are camouflaged,” she explains. Depending on the degree of volume loss, patients may return several weeks later for an additional syringe or two. “Results typically last one to two years, depending on the person’s skin health and their activities,” she says.
The Best Products for Aging Hands
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