The face and the hand are the only parts of our body which are easily exposed to view. It is not surprising that aging changes in these areas bother us most.
Aging changes in the hand include age spots, wrinkling, loose or thin skin and enlarged veins on the back of the hand.
All of these problems can be treated, although surgeons disagree about the effectiveness.
Age spots or feckles can sometimes be treated with bleaching creams. If these are not effective then lasers or peels may be tried.
The larger veins can be removed through small incisions in the crease lines on the back of the hand. The surgeon must take care to preserve enough veins for drainage of blood or prolonged swelling will occur.
The skin is tightened through transverse incisions along the tension lines on the back of the hand or wrist. However, the resultant scar may thicken and be obvious.
Although then skin cannot be made thicker, fat grafts or other fillers can be placed to create the illusion of more fullness. For many surgeons the results have not been predictable.
The fine wrinkling is treated by resurfacing with light chemical peels, such as trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Unfortunately this can cause scarring and a noticeable line between the treated area of the hand and the untreated wrist.