Why don't plastic surgeons have a procedure to correct wrinkled fingers? (Photo)

Question

I have wrinkled fingers (similar to the attached picture of Nicole Kidman from tonight's oscars) and it seems like it would be pretty easy to make crescent or football shaped incisions at the knuckle to tighten the skin on the fingers and restore a more youthful look to the hands. The area is naturally creased anyways so the scars would just look like the natural lines that already exist there as long as the shape mimics the curve of the knuckle creases. Is there anyone doing a procedure like this?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Hands can be improved with fillers very easily, and I love combining this with fraxel laser to tighten and improve texture. Belotero and Radiesse give natural looking results.  I suggest seeing a cosmetic dermatologist with expertise in hand rejuvenation to go over the recommended timeline.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Matthew Zeiderman, MD · Answer

This is an interesting question. You are right that a little incision could be made on each finger to remove some skin, however, there are a couple of issues with this on the fingers. The wounds following incisions like that have a tendency to come apart once. you start using your fingers again. You also need some skin laxity to allow for finger flexion. The skin on top of the fingers is not very mobile so some redundancy of the skin is needed.
To remove wrinkles several things could be tried, but this must be individualized to each patient following an examination. This could include use of a hyaluronic acid filler, laser skin tightening, or a more permanent solution such as fat grafting. Fat grafting is a well documented and known to help make the top of the hand look better and may also work on the finger.

Dallas Buchanan, MD · Answer

Why don't cell phone makers create a battery that charges without a cord, or even better, one that never dies? Why don't car manufacturers make engines that get 500 miles per gallon? The list of questions could go on and on. The bottom line is that plastic surgeons went to medical school and not magic school and there are limitations to what is possible. To my knowledge there is no reliable surgical procedure to tighten skin on hands. There are too many critical structures in the hand involved in movement and function and scars on the hand cause contracture if placed incorrectly. If you want to head off to medical school and then plastic surgery residency and then publish a paper on your experience with finger skin tightening, I am sure I and others would love to read it!All joking aside, there are some procedures out there that can improve the appearance of skin on the hands. Skin procedures such as lasers and microneedling can improve the quality of the skin and often times fat grafting to the backs of the hands can improve the appearance of aging. Hope this helps!

Daniel Park, MD · Answer

There are many options to rejuvenate the hands. The options mainly includes non surgical options such as fat transfer, injectable fillers and laser skin resurfacing. Its best to meet a plastic surgeon to review your options. Thanks for the excellent question.

Maria Milone, MBBS · Answer

Thankyou for your question. Your idea is a reasonable one , however given hower much movement is expected of hands , it would be fraught with risk of would breakdown and stretching to create ugly scars unless you were to completely  immobilise your hands for 6 weeks or more thereby increasing risk of creating irreversible stiffness. So good in theory but unfortuanelty falls down in practice .
Hands and fingers can be rejuvenated with dermal fillers restoring volume and improving skin quality .The filler can be introduced in a variety of ways including via a cannula through a single or maybe 2 entry points on the back of the hand, or via multiple injections with a needle .
The skin quality can be improved with prescription strength retinoic acid containing cream , lasers, prp and chemical peels.

Richard Baker, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

Dear LonelyLittlePetunia,
your idea to excise skin in a horizontal fashion at the knuckles to reduce the wrinkles on the backs of fingers is a reasonable idea. That is basically how tummy tucks and facelifts work. However the reason these wrinkles have developed is primarily due to loss of volume (fat) and secondarily to loss of elasticity of the skin. Therefore volume restoration with fat transfer would give a more rejuvenating result than skin excision without the need for scars.
In summary, I would recommend fat transfer to the hand for rejuvenation but well done for thinking of a logical solution yourself.
Kind regards,
Richard Baker

Kristine Brecht, MD (license suspended) · Answer

Yes, actually there are a few ways to rejuvenate the hands.
Fat transfer with prp is a wonderful way to volumizing the hands, minimize the appearance of the blood vessels, and give the skin a healthier look.
Choose an expert. Best. Dr Brecht 
Seattle, Wa

Why don't plastic surgeons have a procedure to correct wrinkled fingers? (Photo)

Answers (7)

More Hand Rejuvenation Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (7)

More Hand Rejuvenation Questions

How to fix wrinkled hands from eczema/hand rejuvenation options? (photos)

Hand wrinkles and orange peel skin? I would still like resurfacing to tighten the skin.

Can I use a filler for my fingers? (Photo)

Is it possible to do knuckle surgery for excessive skin? (Photo)

How can a young woman fix old dark creepy looking hands? (photos)

Is it possible to have permanent filler for hand rejuvenation?

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS