We live in a time period where there are endless things—from at-home to day procedures and in-office—that you can have done to your body and face (there are even treatments for body parts like your ears and feet). But when it comes to your hands, the body part is lucky if it gets a little hand cream… until now. Hands are finally getting the attention they deserve.
“Patients who have invested seriously in their facial skin are starting to recognize the disconnect,” Antony Nakhla, MD, double board-certified dermatologist and founder of Eighth Day. “The hands are visible constantly and in close proximity during conversation. It makes sense that [it] is expanding to include them.”
The aging on our hands is similar to what we experience elsewhere on our bodies. The difference is that our hands might show those signs a lot sooner. “They receive more cumulative sun exposure and less consistent skincare attention than the face,” says Dr. Nakhla. “The structural volume loss beneath the skin also tends to be more visible on the hands because there is less underlying fat to compensate, as well as prominent anatomical structures (like vasculature, bones, and tendons) that become focal points.”
Nicholas Brownstone, MD, board-certified medical and cosmetic dermatologist at Mount Sinai, adds that external factors, such as UV exposure, pollution, smoking, diet, sleep, and alcohol consumption, can speed up those signs of aging. So the ultimate hand care routine will need the following things:
You Must Use SPF
Dr. Brownstone says that dark spots are largely caused by UV exposure and are probably the most common sign of photoaging. To protect the skin on your hands, you must use sunscreen with SPF. “SPF is the non-negotiable starting point and the most neglected step,” agrees Dr. Nakhla. Just as you would apply it to your face and other parts of your body, he recommends using SPF every morning and reapplying every two hours if your hands are going to be exposed to the sun.
Use Anti-Aging Ingredients
According to Dr. Nakhla, the same anti-aging ingredients that work for your face will also work on your hands as well. He recommends retinoids that will help texture and tone while also stimulating collagen production, while peptides and growth factors support skin renewal, he says.
Support the Skin Barrier
Because we wash our hands more frequently than our face and other parts of our body throughout the day, Dr. Nakhla explains that the skin barrier on the hands is disrupted frequently. So we need to focus on replacing moisture that we’ve lost and look to ingredients that support the barrier consistently. “It makes the difference,” he says. Look for ingredients that hydrate skin and support the skin barrier, such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid. “[They] keep the skin functional and resilient,” he says.
Avoid Fragrance and Alcohol in Hand Creams
If you have sensitive skin or your skin barrier is somehow compromised, Dr. Nakhla recommends staying away from hand creams that are heavy with fragrance, as they might cause more irritation. “Repeated exposure to fragrance ingredients can cause contact dermatitis and chronic irritation that worsens the skin over time,” he says.
He also cautions against alcohol-heavy formulas (these are the ones marketed as sanitizing or refreshing, he says) as those can damage the barrier after repeated use, and creams that use heavy, occlusive ingredients that only provide short-term comfort.
Wash With Gentle Soap and Lukewarm Water
Another thing to keep in mind is how you’re washing your hands. As Dr. Nakhla mentioned above, exposure to harsh soaps and detergents when washing your hands frequently can strip the barrier and cause damage over time. Also, hot water is more damaging than people realize, he says. So opt for gentle soaps and lukewarm water when washing your hands.
