When your hands are 20 years older than your face

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2025 

Dear friends. I'm in good company with this one: both Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker suffer from the same affliction.

There are four reasons why our hands can age faster than the rest of our face - and it's not just failure to apply hand cream:

1. Exposure to sunlight and chemicals cause thinning and drying of the skin on the hands, as well as brown spots, wrinkles and prominent veins;
2. Veins become less elastic with age and this allows more blood to remain in them, thus pressing them close to the skin which, itself, is more transparent as you get older. If your skin is pale, the veins' bluish-purple colour shows through that much more;
3. Strenuous exercise, particularly strength training, increases blood flow which makes the veins bigger; 
4. The menopause causes a drop in their levels of oestrogen - the hormone that helps to keep the skin plump and fleshy.

So what can be done, apart from wearing lacy gloves as Madonna used to do?

There are expensive options. Non-surgical procedures, such as laser treatments and chemical peels, can reduce age spots. Fat injections can be used to plump up the hands, while laser ablation can reduce the prominence of veins.

Radiesse dermal filler works by stimulating the body to produce its own natural collagen, but the effects of volume restoration are immediate. With just one treatment Radiesse restores younger looking hands by reducing the appearance of tendons and veins. Something to think about if you have a big occasion coming up.

Image: Radiesse 

Hand vein sclerotherapy is also an option. A virtually painless treatment, it involves injecting hand veins in a similar way to varicose veins in the legs. A small cotton compression bandage is worn for two hours after treatment, and recovery is swift.

Less drastic ways to try to improve the hands and prevent further ageing include treating your hands the same as your face and exfoliating them, followed by a facial mask and judicious amounts of hand cream.

I've been using No 7's Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Moisturising Body Serum, as retinol also works well on the skin of the hands and arms. Retinol helps to improve texture and jump start the growth of thickening collagen. 

You can also use heavy-duty concealers like Derma Blend to instantly cover dark veins. You'll have to reapply after washing your hands, but it still beats surgery.

The hand rejuvenation market has recently been joined by home LED treatments. I recently bought the CurrentBody Hand Perfector, which uses scientifically-proven red LED light to improve the hands. 

 Simply place your hands inside for 10 minutes, a few times a week.  I must confess I haven't been good at doing this, although I've had great results with the face mask from the same brand. 

My other tip is that when your hands are going to be visible in photos, hold your arms above your head for a short while before the picture is taken.  That will remove, temporarily, the prominent veins.

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