Treatment for the Aging Hand

We have many treatments for the aging hand like fillers to improve the bony/veiny look and lasers to diminish brown spots and wrinkles. There are now 2 FDA approved fillers for the hand: Restylane® Lyft (new for hands) and Radiesse®. Both achieve a very natural look. The treatment is straightforward and the results are often immediate.

The procedure is performed by first cleaning the hand, then the filler is injected in between the knuckles while the skin is pulled up. The filler is then smoothed out and fills the surface skin. This creates a layer between the underside of the skin and the muscle and veins. The hands appear more opaque and less bony, a very youthifying procedure. How do we avoid the veins? Although these veins are superficial, they are deeper than you might think, therefore, we can stay above them.

What are the side effects? Swelling and bruising are #1 and #2. As with all filler procedures, we cannot guarantee we will not have these, but these are temporary side effects and often pretty mild. Occasionally, there will be a more prolonged (4-8 weeks) discomfort in the hands and rarely there will be a slight reduction in the range of motion. If you go on ADVDERMATOLOGY Facebook or Instagram pages you can view a video of me performing the procedure.

We also do Q-switched laser and Fraxel® laser for the surface of the hands to address brown spots. With the former, we perform this when there are only a few sun freckles and we target those areas. The laser “zaps” the pigment and causes the skin to crust over; this heals  in 7-10 days and usually, one treatment does resolve them completely (occasionally a second treatment is needed).

We use the Fraxel® Thulium when the sun damage is more diffuse and/or wrinkles or texture could be improved as well. In this case, we perform the laser over the entire surface of the backs of the hands and this causes the skin to peel for 5-10 days. After this, clearer brighter smoother skin appears. We usually recommend 2 treatments for optimal treatment. All laser procedures have potential side effects, such as scarring, infection, and discoloration. These are exceedingly rare and we take every precaution to avoid them.