The Rise of the Hand Lift

There are some things that we all know will happen to our body as we grow older. We’ll begin to develop crow’s feet and smile lines. Our hair will begin to turn gray. Our skin will lose some of its elasticity and begin to sag a bit more than it used to. But there are other developments that accompany aging that many of us simply don’t think about—parts of the body that we might not think of as being as vulnerable to the effects of time, but which, before we know it, can make us look years older than we actually are. And when it comes to this laundry list of lesser-thought-of body parts, the hands are right up near the top of the list. People are starting to figure out that hands matter, though—and they’re starting to do something about it.

As the skin of the hands begins to thin, the veins and tendons beneath the surface begin to become more apparent. For most, this doesn’t occur until relatively late in life; for others, however, especially those who are genetically predisposed to it, it can occur quite early. To address this issue, plastic surgeons have developed the hand lift, a combination of dermal filler treatments and laser or chemical peel treatments. The fillers plump the area under the skin, hiding the gaps between the tendons and veins, while the laser treatment or chemical peel helps to address spots or discolorations on the hands. It’s a short, minimally invasive procedure—and according to patients, the results can be pretty dramatic.

It may not be for everyone, but it looks like hand lifts are becoming more and more popular, especially among those people whose hands have aged much faster than the rest of them has. If your hands are still in good shape now, though, be sure to put sunscreen on them before you go out in the sun—it will keep them looking young for much longer!