Treat Your Hands As You Treat Your Face

|

Dr. Jo

 

Today, Dr. Jo Herzog shares some savvy tips for taking care of an oft-neglected part of our body–our hands. With summer just around the bend, there is no better time than now to begin showing the same attention to our hands that we do our faces.

 

Dr. Jo Herzog

Hands are a dead giveaway to our age.

Just this week I saw a patient who had beautiful, well maintained facial skin but whose hands were full of freckles and pre-cancers.  This is a perfect example of how many of us are careful about wearing sunscreen on our faces but careless about exercising the same care with our hands.

After years of pampering and sunscreen use, some women have faces that look much clearer and younger than some might expect. But one look at the HANDS of some of these same women might be surprising–and revealing. After seeing the huge difference in the aforementioned patient’s well maintained face but neglected hands, my nurse Shannon suggested that I discuss this on Family Savvy.

Our hands have as much–or in some cases more–exposure to the sun as do our faces. To make matters worse, our hands are not covered by makeup, have no shielding from hats, and are no longer protected with white cotton gloves as they were in an earlier era. In light of all the exposure that our hands get to the ravages of the sun, why do most of us not think of protecting them? By following a few simple tips, we can keep our hands looking as youthful as our faces.

Since it is not likely that gloves are going to come into fashion any time soon, we should apply sunscreen to the hands–everyday and often. Remembering to reapply during the day is also important, because washing our hands throughout the day removes any sunscreen previously applied.

For those who get manicures that involve putting hands under UV lamps, it is a good idea to buy special gloves that cover the hands and only have the fingernails exposed to the light. Applying sunscreen to the hands before putting them under these lamps can also help. Frequent exposure to these lamps could age hands over time if protective measures are not taken.

You should also use the same anti-aging products on your hands (and chest) that you use on your face. Again, this takes developing a habit. When applying products on the face, think of the hands also. When I laser faces, I often laser the hands at the same time to prevent them from telling more about us then we would like to show.

In summary, treat your hands like you treat your face, and they will not be a dead giveaway.

Hope that everyone has a good safe week,

Dr. Jo

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *