What is the best hand treatment?

Hands are the first tell tale signs of age. With all the rough and tumble, they are the parts of the body that get the paper cuts, nicks from knives, trapped in doors, handled harsh detergents, and in the course of a day soaked, pulled, squashed, weather beaten – it’s a wonder that there still here.

They’re very much an overlooked item of the body. What needs the most love is subjected to countless handwashing with cheap cleansers each day and perhaps a dab of hand cream.

We need to look after our hands, so what makes the best hand treatment?

We have to remember that the skin on the back of our hands is very delicate. Therefore, a lot more prone to ageing – much quicker than our faces, even.

“There is very little fat on the backs of the hands, so when even a small amount of collagen or elastin fibers begins to break down — which is part of the normal aging process and partly from sun exposure — it’s going to have a noticeable impact on your hands,” says Gregory Buford, MD, a Denver plastic surgeon speaking to WebMD.

The end result, say experts, is wrinkly, crinkly crepe-like skin texture and the noticeable appearance of bulging veins, which also grow larger over time.

The most obvious choice would be a good moisturiser. While a moisturiser won’t reverse sun damage or create new collagen, it can leave skin looking plumper and more youthful. Some of the ingredients in these products include shea butter, macadamia nut oil, olive oil, vitamin E, and glycerin. Since all moisturizers work more effectively when applied to skin that is slightly damp, use them after a shower or bath or after washing your hands. We recommend Dr Spiller Sensicura Hand Cream, which contains vitamin E, magnolia bark oil and vitamin F complex.

What’s also suggested in the WebMD article is the use of a heated paraffin wax hand bath which can be picked up for as little as £30 for the unit, plus the cost of wax. This allows you to give your hands a daily dip that promises to rehab even the driest cracked skin. “These treatments can be very useful for deep moisturizing, and I would recommend them as more effective than a simple hand cream,” says Buford. Wax coats the skin, offering a form of protection you don’t ordinarily get from a cream.