How many people do you know who have been celebrating their 30th birthdays for a few years now? Sure we may feel young in fashionable clothes and are able to keep up with the lingo of younger generations, but when it comes to aging there isn’t much we can do to hide its transparency without a little assistance. When gravity begins to take its toll on the skin, as we age, it becomes thin, starts to sag and more pronounced wrinkles and brown spots appear. Fortunately, advancements in both nonsurgical and surgical cosmetic treatments make it possible to help reduce common signs of aging on the hands and face so you can keep everyone guessing as to what your real age is.
With the face being one of the most prominent features that is most noticed in daily interactions with people, an aged appearance can make us look tired and dull. However, solely looking at someone’s face is not always going to be a dead giveaway of their age; we’ve all seen how genetics can keep women and men looking years younger than they really are. But if you look at the hands, they can be quite telling of a person’s age. Our hands are constantly exposed to harmful environmental elements, like sun damage, and unless you are wearing daily SPF, there isn’t much you can do naturally to slow down the process. Cosmetic injectables like Botox® and facial fillers like Juvéderm® and Restylane® have seen successes as wrinkle-reducing treatments for the face, but recently the popular filler Radiesse® was FDA-approved for hand rejuvenation.
Hand rejuvenation using Radiesse® works similarly to the way treatments are administered for areas of the face. I like to start by determining the appropriate amount of filler to be used to fill out the bony, delicate skin that has thinned out on the hands. Once I am ready to start injecting, I lift the skin off of the back of the hand (making sure to avoid tiny vessels) and inject the filler into areas that can use plumping. After the injections are administered, I then gently massage Radiesse® into the hands to even out any bumps and make sure that the treatment successfully covers the soft tissue and creates less prominent veins and tendons. There is a numbing agent within in the Radiesse® syringe that helps alleviate discomfort for patients and only minimal swelling or bruising may occur after treatment. Results can be seen immediately after treatment and patients can return to their normal activities. Generally, patients can expect their results to last 1-2 years and touch ups are encouraged to continue stimulating collagen, reduce volume loss and overall extend the result of your younger, more rejuvenated hands.
To learn about hand rejuvenation, cosmetic injectables or the various facial rejuvenation treatments offered at Southern Plastic Surgery, P.C., please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. Stay up to date on the latest cosmetic plastic surgery and skincare news by following me, Dr. David Whiteman, on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.