Turn back the hands of time

When it comes to holding back the years, Madonna is a true pro.  A macrobiotic diet, combined with yoga, barre work and resistance training has kept the Material Girl youthful and super fit. At 57 she has the body and face of a woman twenty years younger.

But there was always one giveaway of her real age – her hands. Until now. …

According to reports, to turn back the hands of time, the singer has undergone a procedure called redermilization mesotherapy. 

Originating from the Greek word ‘meso’ (which means middle), the treatment is widely used by aesthetic doctors and dermatologists around the world to help keep the skin youthful and beautiful.

The basis of the therapy involves microinjections, sometimes up to 80, using a cocktail of skin rejuvenating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, collagen and vitamins, into the mesoderm – the middle layer of the skin.

The painless treatment takes around 30 minutes, needs no downtime and boosts the skin with a powerful dose of nutrients to aid skin rejuvenation, tightening and plumping.  

Depending on skin condition, a course of around 3 treatments, a couple of weeks apart are needed to achieve optimal results at a cost of around £200 per treatment, with a top up then every six to eight months to maintain results.

Showing off plump toned hands, the treatment has certainly done the trick for Madonna who in the past has frequently been snapped wearing gloves to hide her ageing mitts.

But, she’s not alone in being self-conscious especially when scrawny hands don’t match a youthful, well cared for complexion.

A recent survey discovered that 75 per cent of women fret about ageing hands while three quarters of women believe their hands betray their true age.

The good news is that prompted by this demand there have been some remarkable developments in turning back the clock on hand ageing. From hi tech beauty mitts to innovative laser zappers and hand lifts, here’s our pick of the best solutions and some preventive measures you can take. 

 

Top Tips for Youthful Hands

Our hands actually start to age as early 34 and the older we get, the more muscle we lose which contributes to lost volume from our hands. Changes in our hormone levels can also cause skin to become thinner, making veins more visible. Preventing damage now will mean will mean better skin condition

*Always wear sun protection on the back of the hands to prevent liver spots and wrinkles even when driving in the as those ageing UVA rays can penetrate glass. Try Nivea Age Defying Q10 Hand cream, £4.10

 

*Don’t wash your hands in very hot or cold water, as you will damage the skin. Try and ensure water is lukewarm and use a milder soap that contains nourishing and moisturising oils to cleanse the skin. Always rub in hand cream for at least a few minutes after washing, try Hand Chemistry £19.99 boots.com which contains more active ingredients than your average premium face cream.

*Wear protective gloves when doing housework or in the garden and give yourself a hand facial once a week. Products that you use on your face are just as good for you hands, so exfoliate and then use a plumping mask. For an overnight booster, Illuminage Skin Rejuvenating Gloves are silky soft so and infused with contain copper fibres to improve skin tone over four weeks. £30.00 lookfantastic.com

*The quality of skin and pigmentation marks can also be improved by the regular use of a retinoid (vitamin A) cream which – use in the evening before bed as daylight can destroy the active retinoid molecules in the cream and gel. Try Jan Marini Luminate Hand Cream £82.95 skinfantastic.co.uk

 

The Professional Touch

*Soften age spots  - brown spots, liver spots are all technically hyperpigmentation caused after exposure to ultraviolet light which builds up over time.  A course of IPL with  Lumecca can zap and lighten the marks as well as improve skin tone. An intense pulsed light is aimed at the skin on the backs of the hands,  which releases energy into the skin which then stimulates regeneration of the cells, and boosts  collagen, You’ll see instant results after one treatment but for longer lasting results try a course of three to six treatments, spaced at least ten days apart (It is vital that you use SPF 30 after the treatment to protect the new skin.)From £120  a session 0207 436 4441

 

*Improve skin tone and sagging – if hand skin is becoming thin and wrinkly, then a laser system will go deeper than IPL This will stimulate tissue below the skin surface to produce more collagen and elastin - tightening the fine wrinkles in skin and leaving hands that look much smoother and more youthful. Depending on the depth of the treatment, it can take up to week to recover but results can last up to three years if you exfoliate regularly and wear sunscreen. From £1200  - harleystreetskinclinic.com

*Boost radiance – a course of six glycolic peels, one every three weeks will freshen up dull, weathered skin, stimulate cell turnover and reveal newer, plumper skin. It’s not a miracle cure but you will definitely see an improvement  - from £60 a peel – though a course usually works out cheaper. Most salons and clinics will perform peels and adjust the strength to your skin tone.

 

*Boost volume - If your hands are thin and have lost their youthful plumpness, volumising is possible by using your own fat taken from your tummy hips or even knees which is treated in a special machine and then injected into the backs of the hands. This will instantly camouflage veins and can make hands look ten years younger, Performed using a local anaesthetic, results can last up to three years but a top up may be needed after three to four months once the fat has settled. Expect downtime of up to two weeks. From  £3500 0207 436 4441. Alternatively, dermal fillers Restylane®, Perlane®, Radiesse®, Sculptra® Aesthetic are commonly used for hand rejuvenation - the outcome depends very much on the surgeon's experience and skill so do go to an experienced doctor. From £350 and available from most clinics.

 

*A Hand Lift without scalpels - We often combine hand treatments with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, known as the Vampire Hand Lift, where a vial of your blood is taken, then put in a centrifuge to separate off the plasma which is full of platelets and growth factors which is then injected all over the hands to stimulate the regeneration of collagen and to improve skin quality. The procedure can all be carried out with minimum downtime and results last up to 18 months From £500 a treatment 0207 434 4441

 

*Rejuvenate Dried Out Skin – Another injectable treatment but this one puts moisture back into the skin using Hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance which absorbs moisture and keeps the skin hydrated. It also helps draw water into the surface of the skin but injecting it into the skin using a HA filler, such as Resytlane Light, will act like a super moisturiser to make skin smoother and firmer.  You may need a course of three treatments, around three weeks apart but there is no downtime and depending on lifestyle, results should last up to year. From £350 available from most clinics.

*Hi Tech Rejuvenation without needles – if you hate needles the Triniti Plus Trio Tech Heavenly Hand procedure is a non invasive option which combines three of today’s most effective technologies, bi polar radio frequency and light energies for colour correction, skin tightening and texture improvement. Three different devices are passed over the backs of the hands, which firing the RF frequency or light energies onto the skin until the whole area is covered.  Only one 30-minute treatment required and best results develop over two months with results lasting up to a year/18 months – from £300 drhausdermatology.com