Recommended Treatment for Prematurely Aged Hands and Forearms?

For the aging hands, we would recommend dermal fillers.  We agree that Radiesse is an option but prefer hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm or Perlane.

As for the forearms, we would not make a recommendation.  Based on how your forearms look, we do not think lasers will offer an appreciable improvement.

The most effective way to treat aging hands and sun damaged arms would be the use of fillers for the hands, and the YAG laser or Fraxel laser for the hands and forearms.  First a couple of different options concerning the hands could be used.  Fat injection is a good way to plump up the hands and add volume.  There are also fillers such as Radiesse that also lessen the look of the aging process. The Fraxel laser is a laser that  has the ability to reduce the appearance of age spots and pigmented areas caused by over exposure to the sun.  It also tightens loose skin that may make the forearm appear older.  If the skin of the arms is too loose, you may need a surgical procedure to tighten them.  Consult your surgeon to see what would be the best option for you.

Thank you for your question and photos. Many patients share similar concerns about a seemingly increased rate of aging on their hands. A combination approach would suit you best – 1) BBL light therapy to the hands and forearms would help to eliminate or reduce brown spots as well as improvement the texture; 2) Radiesse (which is FDA-approved for hand rejuvenation and was among one of the FDA clinical trials I was involved with) injections would help replace volume lost and create a smoother contour; and finally 3) Sun protection! Wear your sunscreen everyday – even on the back of your hands. It’s an area often overlooked and neglected when it comes to sun protection. It may also be that you have excess skin of the upper extremity that may require removal with surgery, but that would need to be evaluated by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Some suggestions for more Youthful hands: Besides prevention with sunscreen daily and moisturizers, Retin-A is helpful as are treatments with some of the more impressive lasers such as the Sciton BBL/SkinTyte and certain Fractionated lasers. As you age, skin cells lose their ability to make collagen and progressively die off rather than reproducing themselves (“DNA programmed cell death with age”).The Sciton Laser Platform allows multiple laser types and wavelengths to achieve both dramatic improvements of your skin but also maintaining its youthful appearance by reversing this process. See below for more information.                                    

Thank you for the photos. Lines, wrinkles, and appearance of veins are usually treated with volume. Dermal fillers are very good at this. Solar damage, spots, etc. are often treated with a spectrum of modalities, microdermabrasion, peels of various intensity, and laser all have a place, depending on your condition and how aggressive you want to be. See your local board certified plastic surgeon. Together, you will come up with a plan.

Our office recommends the fractional co2 laser to resurface tired and aging hands.  This provides an excellent complement to Radiesse injections for hand rejuvenation. Raffy Karamanoukian, Los Angeles

I would suggest Radiesse for your hands to add volume and reduce the appearance of your veins.  Then I would do a few IPL Photofacial treatments on your arms and hands to reduce the brown spots and uneven pigmentation, as well as help the skin get smoother and softer with no downtime.

Consider Renuva for hand rejuvenation. This product is specifically designed for age related fat loss. When injected the results are similar to fillers with improvement in volume. However it differs from fillers because over time Renuva is replaced by your body's own fat giving longer lasting results. For texture issues I encourage you to visit with a med spa near you to discuss products for improvement. And be sure to use sunscreen every day.

Hello and thank you for your question. Hands are the first telltale sign of early aging. A treatment we offer in our practice for wrinkly, aging hands is a gel filler called Restylane Lyft. This is the first hyaluronic acid based filler that has received FDA approval for hand rejuvenation. The procedure takes only 15 minutes, results are instant and will last up to 12 months. For best results, please reach out to a board certified dermatologist with injection experience. Best of luck to you!

Due to the very thin skin on the hands, they tend to age more quickly than other areas of our body. Sun exposure will, of course, accelerate that process. At our center, we have a number of different laser and light therapies to choose from to resurface the skin on the hands and arms, as well as the face, neck and chest. These therapies also stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin in the skin, which adds to their benefits. Please consult a board-certified dermatologist so you can decide together which laser or light therapy would be best for you.