Hand RejuvenationNewstead, Brisbane

The skin on the back of the hand is one of the first places where age shows, and it stays visible all day. The face has a good layer of fat under the skin, well-developed muscle, and fairly thick skin. The back of the hand has almost none of that. There is very little between the skin surface and the tendons and veins underneath. So the same changes that take years to show on the face, collagen loss and thinning skin, show on the hands sooner and more plainly. A hand assessment looks at the skin's surface, its depth, and its pattern of sun spots, in the same careful way a cellular ageing assessment looks at the face.

There are a few reasons hands age early, part biology and part daily use. The skin on the back of the hand is thinner to begin with. It makes less natural oil, because it has fewer oil glands. And it is bent and stretched thousands of times a day. Over time, the collagen and elastin in the skin decline, the same as everywhere else on the body. But the hand has no fat to fall back on and no muscle to hold its shape. So the change shows more plainly. Veins and tendons stand out, something people often notice in photos. The skin starts to look crepey. And everyday use keeps stretching skin that now takes longer to bounce back. The bones of the hand also lose a little density with age, which adds to the loss of fullness over the long term.

In Australia, sun damage on the hands often comes from a habit most people never think about: driving. Our drivers sit on the right, which puts the left hand on the steering wheel or resting on the window sill. That left hand catches direct sun for every minute behind the wheel, on the commute, the school run, or the weekend drive. Over the years it adds up. Most of us put sunscreen on the face but skip the hands, so the hands often carry more lifetime sun than any other part we can see. The result is a familiar pattern: brown spots (called solar lentigines, sometimes age spots or liver spots), uneven tone, and rough, dry skin. In many Brisbane drivers, it is worse on the left hand than the right.

On the hands, the difference between men and women is smaller than it is on the face. The main causes, years of sun, loss of collagen and fat, and constant daily use, affect everyone in a similar way. Hormones do play a part. After menopause, the drop in oestrogen speeds up thinning and collagen loss, and this often shows on the hands before the face, because there is less fat to soften it. Men tend to have slightly thicker hand skin and age a little more slowly, but by the fifties and sixties, standing-out veins, loose skin and sun spots are common in both. A good assessment reads your own pattern and your sun history. It does not assume anything from your age or sex.

Our Newstead clinic serves clients across Brisbane, including New Farm, Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley, Hamilton, Ascot, and the broader inner north.