The quest for younger hands

'Hand-lift' procedures can hide age

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – When it comes to hiding your age, many people turn to face-lifts, fillers or chemical peels to banish age spots and smooth out lines, but there's one body part people tend to forget: the hands.

Hands will often give away your age because as people get older the skin starts to thin, giving hands a bony, vascular look. But most of the damage is caused by the sun, according to Dr. Barry Kaplan with Kaplan Cosmetics in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

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"What we found is that most people, especially in Florida, have trouble with brown spots," Kaplan explained. "People call them liver spots or age spots; it's sun damage."

Kaplan says when it comes to removing those age spots or plumping up the skin, what works on the face can work on the hands.

Lasers can zap damaged skin, leaving behind softer, smoother hands. And fillers can add volume to bony hands giving them a more youthful look.

Kaplan's most popular procedure takes fat from one part of the patient's body and injects it into the hands. It is done while the patient is awake and is said to give a healthier look with long-term rejuvenation benefits to the hands.

It's not cheap, of course. A patient can spend anywhere from $600 to several thousand dollars if you opt for fat transferring, but it's a price more and more women are willing to pay.

Some cosmetic surgeons attribute that to the rise of the look-at-me mindset of social media, where engagement-ring selfies have become a big thing and brides-to-be want to put their best hand forward.

Kaplan said the best thing you can do for your hands is use sunblock. It really is that easy. Most people remember to protect their face and arms from sun damage, but carrying around a small bottle of sunblock will, hands down, keep your mitts looking younger for longer.