My hands are aging faster than the rest of me. Any helpful recommendations

[Cattington]

I'm 55 and am pretty young looking for my age. My parents were very unlined and my Mum hardly had any grey hairs till she was in her 70's, so I'm very lucky.

I had bad eczema as a baby and then as a teen and back in the day steroid cream was used continuously with no breaks recommended. As a result my hands (where I had it mainly) are very wrinkly and the skin has little to no elasticity left. They are bony too (about the only bit of me that is) so they look old. I put neutrogena hand cream on at night but is there anything else that might help them look a little more plumped up and less 'witchy'?

I had my nails gelled for Christmas and they look lovely. I've ordered a ring because I don't have any rings and really wanted one, but no matter what I do with nails or jewellery I still have bony, old mitts.

[hauntedhenry]

I don't know about plumping them up, but if you use acid toners on your face, wipe the pad over the backs of your hands when you've finshed. I've started doing this recently and then applying hand cream and my hands are looking better I think.

[Cattington]

Thanks haunted. I haven't got acid toners but could easily get one. Which do you use?

[ThomasSofty]

My mum and grandma both swear by Clarins hand cream, the anti-aging one. Do you only apply hand cream at night? I think you would see a difference if used throughout the day. Aveeno hand creams are lovely, and sink in really well. Also, make sure you apply suncream to the back of your hands, as most people miss that bit! As for acid toners, I like the nip+fab pads which you can get in Boots. They do several kinds, and aren't too expensive.

[spankhurst]

Nivea Q10 handcream is marvellous. Also wipe your excess face cream/serum onto the back of your hands.

[smalldinosaur]

Thank you. I will try the nip and fab pads and get the nivea. I can't afford clarins at the moment so will have to put that on my wish list.

[smalldinosaur]

And I will use hand cream in the day.

[MarvellousCake]

I am not yet 40 and have had witchy hands for at least 10 years. In fact even late teens/early 20's I had very little 'spring' in the skin on my hands.
It's just the way I am I think.
I try to keep my nails nice, and use handcream when I remember, but they are just my hands and I'm used to they way they are.

[smalldinosaur]

Marvellous, I think there's only so much we can do with them. I'm going to try the nip and fab pads and more handcream.

[Corygal]

Heel balm at night. Works miracles in 3 days, just like the ads say. Better if you can put socks or cotton gloves (I don't know anyone who owns these) over the top.

[tb]

Also, make sure you wear gloves in winter as the cold can be very drying.

[SeasonalVag]

I've been using Korean Adele masks for the past few weeks.....I always run the excess into my hands and its helping.....generally they look very raw and rough.

Has anybody tried doing a peel on their hands? I wonder if it would work?

[mintbiscuit]

Sunscreen on them every day. Reapply frequently.
Skinceuticals retinol 1% apply before bed
Skinceuticals vit c serum. Apply am.

Expensive but will deliver results.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Cotton gloves - I own some

Pound Shops do them.(Or BodyShop)

There used to be Parafin Wax that you could get in some Beauty Suppliers , it has a low melting point so low risk of burning.

If my hands suffer (which they do, I handwash alot at work, and I'm ancient) I use almond oil and sugar to scrub then Vaseline and the cotton gloves.

[smalldinosaur]

Oooh thanks. Some good things to try (sorry, I name-changed mid thread!). I'm going to get some cotton gloves. i actually have some flexitol heel balm and am going to give that a shot first. Due to budget I will start at the lower priced ideas and work up if necessary.

[mrsmortis]

Have you tried a handcream with Lanolin in it? I find that that helps, especially as a night cream. You could also try Lanolin instead of the vaseline suggested above too. I'm not too happy about using a petrolium based product if I can avoid it.

[Tagetes]

I'm also 55, very dry wrinkly skin on my hands and have rheumatoid arthritis which affects them badly - swollen knuckles and misshapen joints. They look like they belong to a (really) old lady! I don't bother with nail varnish as I don't want to draw attention to them I'm going to try some of these suggestions thanks.

[SarahDietitian]

I've horribly dry hands that get sore with a lot of hand creams. Going from freezing cold to warm also makes them even more sore. I second Aveeno Hand Cream (when I remember to put it on!!) I think if you can be consistent with the application that helps ie. a few times a day rather than once a week/when I remember

What also really helps is nourishing your skin from the inside with plenty of anti inflammatory healthy fats. Salmon, sardines, mackerel, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts, avocado, olive oil. I notice a difference in my overall skin condition (face, hands and whole body) if I don't eat enough of these.

Have the Nip & Fab Pads, will rub on to hands too. Thanks for that tip!

[Floisme]

I said this on another thread and promptly killed it but I quite like my aging hands! My fingers are long and slim and I think they look quite interesting now they're getting gnarly. I've started wearing rings again to show them off.

[Corygal]

I agree - hands should be interesting. I moisturise mine because otherwise they hurt.

if you've got crunchy dry feet & heels, you can get Flexitol on prescription. Otherwise it's about a fiver.