HAND REJUVENATION
As we strive to look as good as we feel, or try to look better, so that we feel better, we realize that we need to address not only our face and neck, but our hands as well.
Our hands have constantly been exposed to the sun’s harmful rays, whether from gardening, golfing, hiking, or even simply driving a car. The sun’s UVA rays travel through windshields, slowly damaging the skin and accelerating the aging process. Our cold Canadian climate can further contribute to dry, dehydrated hands.
Over time, brown sunspots appear. These are often incorrectly referred to as liver spots. They are actually called lentigines and are caused from long term sun exposure. Warty like growths called Seborrheic Keratoses may also develop. These are benign growths secondary to age and genetics.
Red scaly lesions may also develop. These are known as Actinic keratoses and are due to chronic sun exposure. Dr. Nield usually recommends treating these lesions for medical reasons.
With time, our hands are less able to retain moisture, leaving our skin dry and loose and wrinkled. The dermis and subcutaneous layers thin out, exposing our hand veins and making our hands look rather bony.
Hand rejuvenation is not all that different from facial and neck rejuvenation. Oftentimes, patients will seek out Dr. Nield for her expert help with respect to enhancing their facial appearance, only to realize that they can also benefit from revitalizing their hands as well.
Dr. Nield has many treatment options available to improve the appearance of your hands. Oftentimes, more than one treatment will be suggested, and a series of procedures may be necessary, to obtain maximum results. Dr. Nield will also stress the importance of regular sunscreen usage, not only on your face but hands and all sun exposed skin!
Skin care that rejuvenates your face and neck may also be of benefit to your hands. Products with Vitamin A, retinoids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, antioxidants, peptides and human growth factors can help maintain the benefits achieved from our in-office hand rejuvenation procedure. Our office has a wide range of very useful skin care products.
When applied to the skin, medical grade peeling agents lightly exfoliate the damaged layers. This encourages newer, healthy skin to grow and it helps to tighten the skin and fade away age spots. A series of peels are necessary to maximize your results. There is very little downtime, and a treatment can be performed in 30 minutes.
This is a time tested, reliable treatment that has very little downtime. A layer of skin is massaged away with micro-crystals. A series of treatments will leave your hands feeling refreshed, softer, and more even in texture and tone. Your skin will feel firmer secondary to new collagen growth.
This is also known as Intense Pulsed Light or Photofacials. Through short bursts of intense pulsed light, sunspots or lentigines can be gently removed from the skin. Light treatments may also reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the back of your hands overtime by stimulating the development of new collagen. A series of treatments are once again recommended by Dr. Nield. Maintenance treatments are also quite useful.
Oftentimes, as the skin on our hands begins to thin, fat and collagen begin to break down. This leaves our hands appearing old and wrinkled, with very visible hand veins.
Dermal Fillers are temporary fillers that can easily and painlessly be injected into the back of your hands, instantly plumping them up and taking years off your hands, all in a matter of minutes.
The results can last a year or more. Your hands will immediately look more youthful. Your veins will be less visible, and your hands will be plumper. There is very little downtime, and the results are immediate. If patients have a lot of sunspots, they may also wish to have these removed as well, to maximize their overall results.
This is otherwise known as cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen can be sprayed onto both benign warty growths such as seborrheic keratosis and onto actinic keratosis, which are atypical growths secondary to chronic sun exposure. Dr. Nield is very adept at distinguishing the two and would be very happy to evaluate your skin for photodamage.
Liquid nitrogen may cause some discolouration of the skin. This is usually temporary but Dr. Nield will discuss this further when she evaluates you in her office.
Hand rejuvenation has become very popular over the past few years, as more individuals seek to not only improve the appearance of their face and neck, but their hands as well. Newer techniques have made hand rejuvenation much more practical, simple and effective.
To minimize bruising, Dr.Nield recommends that you avoid any medications or natural herbal products that can cause bleeding for one week before your visit. Such products include: Aspirin, Advil, Aleve, and other NSAIDS. Many patients take one baby aspirin a day. If you need to stay on this medication for medical reasons, you can still have your hands treated. Patients who are on daily blood thinners such as Coumadin or Plavix, will need to remain on these drugs. You may experience a bit more bruising, but this will not in any way, interfere with the final results.
Ginseng, Green tea, Gingko Baloka and Garlic pills can also cause bruising, so, if possible, put these supplements aside for a week before a treatment.
Arnica gel or Arnica pills, sold in health food stores, and even pharmacies these days can reduce bruising when taken immediately before a treatment and afterwards. Bruising is not that common a side effect with hand rejuvenation, so most patients elect not to take any extra supplements.
Dr. Nield will have you relax in a comfortable position. Your skin will be cleansed with a gentle disinfectant solution. Injectable fillers with added xylocaine will be injected in small amounts into the back of each hand, and the product will then be massaged to ensure your hands look full and soft. Since xylocaine, a numbing solution is in the actual product, there is very little discomfort during the procedure. Usually, you will need one syringe per hand and the results are very natural looking younger hands that may last for up to one year.
A treatment usually takes only 15 minutes.
Your hands will feel slightly numb for up to one hour. Your hands may be slightly swollen for up to one week after a treatment. This will not be obvious to others. Infrequently, there may be some bruising and some discomfort. Tylenol and ice can be used to minimize this. You should not massage or rub the back of your hands for 24 hours.
It is important to not overwork your hands immediately after a treatment. Avoid strenuous physical activity that could contribute to further swelling of your hands. Handle your hands with care and you will be delighted with the results.
Dr. Nield will see you for a follow up visit in 2 weeks. 75% of patients are very happy with their hands and no further immediate treatment is necessary. 25% of patients will need another treatment to maximize results, usually only one more syringe is needed. This treatment can be done at the time of the follow up visit.
Most patients have very long-lasting results, not needing another treatment for up to a year. Smoking, stress, and sun exposure reduce the effectiveness of the treatments. Dr. Nield will recommend skin care products and other treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light treatments that can further enhance the texture and tone of your hands.
Many of us try our best to stay fit and healthy. We all care about how we look. We colour our hair, wear makeup and nail polish. Botox®, Xeomin®, and dermal fillers are now commonplace. Many people are as comfortable having these simple procedures performed as they are having a spa treatment. As our face and neck appearance improves with the treatments offered by Dr. Nield, our hands continue to age.
Now is the time to literally turn back the hands of time and rejuvenate your hands as well, giving you an all over, youthful look. Many of Dr. Nield’s patients find themselves wearing brighter nail polish once their hands have been rejuvenated! We see our hands every moment of every day, unlike our face that we see only when we glance into a mirror. Once our hands have been volumized, it is amazing how much happier we are when we happen to catch a glimpse of our more youthful hands.