Whether gripping a steering wheel or scrubbing dishes, hands are the workhorses of the body. “They are exposed to sunlight, extreme temperatures, and a lot of wear and tear,” says Nelson Lee Novick, a clinical professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City. And by age 30 skin-cell production decreases by 10 percent, making your skin less efficient at repairing itself.
The tops of the hands, where the skin is thin, can show signs of age first―unlike the thicker-skinned, often-under-cover palms. (For instance, when hands lose plumpness, due to the breakdown of collagen and elastin and the loss of fat, veins and knuckles can start to look more prominent.) Here, five ways to keep your hands looking healthy and youthful.
The skin on your hands gets drier over time. Overwashing and the use of harsh household cleaning products without gloves can hasten this. Dove Beauty Bar contains moisturizers that leave hands soft, not tight-feeling, and it won’t strip skin of natural, protective oils. “Use tepid water to wash―hot water is drying,” says New York City dermatologist Cheryl Karcher.
For Smoothing Rough Skin
As collagen and elastin begin to diminish over the years, wrinkles can start to appear and skin can lose its elasticity. Sun exposure speeds up this progression and can contribute to a leathery texture and even skin cancer. Treat rough skin with a homemade olive oil and sugar scrub. Mix together ¼ teaspoon each sugar and olive oil and massage into the backs of hands once a week. “Olive oil is a wonderful source of moisturizing omega-3 fatty acids, and the sugar buffs away rough patches,” says Ellen Sirot, a hand model in New York City.
