Where We Show Our Age the Most

It can be tough to look in the mirror and see a face looking back that we find tough to recognize — age will do that to a person.

We are a vain society: We want to look as young as we feel, and we’re willing to spend big bucks on whatever might turn back the hands of time when it comes to our appearance — specifically, our skin.

Facial anti-aging skin care products were the second highest grossing skin care category in the United States in 2014, statistica.com reports. Sales in that area reached $1.15 billion that year alone. By 2021, the global skin care market is expected to be valued at $154 billion, with the United States leading the way in money spent on products.

But as many of us slather serum on our faces, get Botox for the wrinkles around our eyes, or book ourselves into microderm abrasion appointments and eyelid-lift procedures, we’re ignoring one of the most telling signs of our age: our hands.

“Hands are usually are a better giveaway of someone’s age. Why? Because these days with all the Botox, fillers, peels and surgeries, we are able to maintain a more youthful look in our faces,” Michael Conte, director of spa and wellness at Meadowood Napa Valley, told LifeZette. “Many people don’t think about taking care of the skin on their hands until the damage is already done.”

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There are two main signs of aging in our hands: a lack of elasticity and skin spots. Age spots, also known as liver spots, are not caused by getting older but are mostly from years of sun exposure or sun damage, said Conte. The lack of elasticity is due to less production of collagen as we age — collagen is what keeps our skin looking plump, supple and young.

Keeping our hands looking youthful is possible, but it takes commitment.

“The reality is that at some point in life, everyone will be faced with some sort of aging skin affects,” Veronique Paquet Dexter of Creative Force Consulting in the Boston area of Massachusetts told LifeZette. “While people who were more preventative in life with their skin management regime may require less aggressive damage reversal treatments, others may require advanced treatments. The good news is that there are a variety of options available for all needs and budgets.”

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Skin Care Essentials”]Start skin regime in early 20s.|Build upon it with age.|Routinely cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate.|Add masks, serum for defense.|Use sunscreen daily on hands and face.[/lz_bulleted_list]

To age gracefully, said Paquet, we need to approach skin care with a preventative mindset. Too often, she said, she sees clients on the reactive end of skin management — when the task of reversing any damage the years and the sun have done is daunting.

Some basic steps may include buying retinoid creams and antioxidant lotions. Both products can be readily purchased over the counter.

“Retinoid creams can help reduce brown spots and minor skin damage, while the antioxidant lotions that contain ingredients such as selenium, vitamin E and vitamin C can aid in combatting harmful free radicals and help preserve the skin from damage.”

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For more severe sun damage, higher concentrated formulations of these products can also be prescribed by a dermatologist. A dermatologist can also prescribe a spot pigmentation gel, with hydroquinone that can dramatically reduce the appearance of brown spots, “and your medical professional may also perform a chemical exfoliation with glycolic acid, which essentially smooths and dissolves dead skin cells,” Paquet said.

More aggressive steps to reverse skin damage (and steps that are more costly) might include laser treatments or chemical peels, both of which would be administered by a medical professional. They’re both geared towards the production and growth of collagen.

These luxe treatments aside, both specialists advocate for one of the most inexpensive treatments available to protect our skin from aging: sunscreen.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of using sunscreen on a daily basis, even if you don’t think you are exposing yourself regularly to the sun,” said Paquet. “Having grown up in Southern California and being a fair-skinned avid beach goer, I learned the hard way the lesson of the importance of sunscreen.” 

She added, “At an early of 18, I faced the reality of pre-cancer and had two large sections of suspicious moles removed from my abdomen. The reality is that it does not take much time at all for the harmful UV rays (UVB and UVA) to penetrate the skin. In as little as 10 minutes, unprotected skin is vulnerable year round.”