What's Covered on This Page
- Why Aging Shows More on Hands Than Faces
- Fueling Your Hands: Volume, Pigment, and Texture
- What Does Your Hand Rejuvenation Appointment Entail?
- After Hand Rejuvenation, Results and Longevity
- Who Is a Good Candidate for Hand Rejuvenation?
- What does a hand rejuvenation appointment in Murrells Inlet actually involve?
- How does coastal living in Murrells Inlet affect hand aging?
- Can hand rejuvenation fix both dark spots and volume loss at the same time?
- How long does it take to see results from hand rejuvenation?
- Is hand rejuvenation painful?
- Who is a good candidate for hand rejuvenation?
Need hand rejuvenation?
Book An Appointment. Call Jolie Visage Rejuvenation Centre now.
Why Aging Shows More on Hands Than Faces
Think about everything your hands go through in a single day: dishes, steering wheels, and sunscreen that never quite makes it past the wrists. Your face gets morning serums, moisturizers, and SPF. Your hands get soap and water.
This is the discrepancy most of us don't recognize until we see our hands in an otherwise flattering photo.
The skin on the top of your hands is much thinner than anywhere else on your body. It has little fat to cushion you, so when the collagen diminishes over time, you see it quickly. Veins become more visible. Tendons become more visible.
Brown spots appear and seem to multiply every summer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sun exposure is the leading factor in the visible aging of your hands.
Living in Murrells Inlet, that sun exposure can add up fast, from time at the MarshWalk to gardening through the long growing season to just walking to the mailbox in July. Your hands are usually unprotected, taking a daily hit from UV exposure from year to year.
We see this trend frequently: someone comes in looking great from the neck up, they've had facials and perhaps some dermal fillers for their face, then they show you their hands and ask, "But what about these?" The difference can be dramatic. Several things tend to accelerate the aging process on your hands in particular:
- Repetitive exposure to the sun without protection, which degrades the collagen and can lead to age spots
- The loss of subcutaneous fat that happens naturally in your 40s and older
- Constant hand washing and contact with harsh chemicals, which strip the skin of moisture
- Thinner skin with less production of oil glands compared to your face or arms
Here is the part that most often surprises people: The treatments for hand rejuvenation can tackle multiple issues at once, not just a single one. Volume loss, pigmentation issues, and texture problems. The procedures are available and effective. Yet most folks aren't aware of these options because hands are seldom the focus of aesthetic conversation in the way that crow's feet and smile lines are.
Your hands can give clues to someone's age before your face can. We aren't trying to scare anyone, the skin does just that when one part gets daily care but another part has been ignored for years and years.
Hand rejuvenation is one of the health spa services at Jolie Visage in Murrells Inlet. If you are considering more than one treatment, we will help you build a plan that fits your goals.
Fueling Your Hands: Volume, Pigment, and Texture
Many clients come in believing that their hands need one thing, only to leave with the realization that their hands had three distinct concerns at once.
This isn't uncommon. Your hands age in stages, losing their subcutaneous fat, revealing the veins and tendons underneath. Sun damage accumulates year in and year out and can cause brown spots as well as skin tone imbalances. The skin can become thinner, like crepe paper, with a rough texture.
No single treatment can accomplish all this. But the right mix can make a significant impact; that is something we witness weekly at our practice in Murrells Inlet.
Restoring Lost Volume
A "skeletal" appearance on your hands is fundamentally an issue of volume. The fat pads that previously gave your hands a smooth, youthful look have thinned and receded. This is where dermal fillers come in; they are injected directly underneath the skin to restore that volume. You'll see results almost instantly: veins are less noticeable, tendons appear less pronounced, and your hands regain a fuller, plumper appearance.
Correcting Dark Spots and Pigment
"Brown spots" represent the most common issue we encounter among our clients in the Garden City and Inlet community. The result of long-term sun exposure here on the coast will lead to that issue. Chemical peels have excellent results, by removing the damaged upper layers and allowing fresh, newer skin to emerge. In cases where the hyperpigmentation is more severe, we combine peels with certain skin rejuvenation treatments to eliminate the persistent melanin buildup that exists beneath the surface.
Not sure if a treatment is best for your case? Pick up the phone and we can discuss it with you.
Smoothing Rough, Thinning Skin
If your issues lie with texture rather than pigmentation, the approach is quite a bit different. Microneedling can trigger your body's production of collagen that can slowly thicken the skin, making the small, superficial creases on the back of your hands appear less distinct. We also use a specialized, professional facial to help hydrate and resurface damaged skin on the hands. Most patients that come in because of pigmentation issues are just as amazed at how much smoother their hands feel afterward.
Here is a common treatment combination for hand rejuvenation depending on your issues:
- Dermal fillers to reduce the look of veins or a skeletal, hollow look
- Chemical peels to reduce the sun spots and skin pigmentation
- Microneedling to reduce the crepey skin texture and fine lines
- PRP techniques for hands to promote natural collagen production
Each person's hand is unique, and so should your treatment plan be; we develop yours around your skin's requirements today.
What Does Your Hand Rejuvenation Appointment Entail?
You arrive. We discuss your hands. It really begins right there.
Before anything starts, we assess the current status of your skin. Many patients have volume loss that causes the veins and tendons to stand out; other patients have hyperpigmentation or crepey texture issues that have accelerated the aging of their hands beyond that of the rest of their body. We observe both of these problems routinely in our practice in Murrells Inlet, so the treatment we suggest will depend entirely on your unique skin issues.
Once we determine the nature of your problem, a standard hand rejuvenation appointment includes the following steps:
- We will cleanse the skin and apply a topical anesthetic cream to both hands.
- Once the cream begins to take effect, we'll explain the procedure to you and answer any questions you may have.
- Depending on what you want to achieve, we will perform the injection of dermal fillers, a chemical peel, or both.
- We review the results with you on the spot to nothing is overlooked.
- We provide straightforward aftercare instructions before you depart.
The entire process typically spans less than an hour. Many patients are surprised by how swift it is.
We've frequently seen someone come in planning on getting X done when it's actually a bit of Y we can improve. Perhaps you sought help treating hyperpigmentation but the issue is actually that thin, aging skin is allowing the discoloration to stand out more. That's why the consultation is such an important component. We don't just start immediately.
There are certain areas on the hand that are a lot more sensitive than the face. Your hands have less cushioning, the skin on the backs of hands is thinner and your hands are typically subjected to far more sun damage from your daily life outdoors. This has a direct impact on how we treat your hands.
You are perfectly free to drive home afterwards. Most of our patients go right back to work. While you can have some slight swelling after treatment for a day or two, there is nothing that will keep you from engaging in normal daily activities. We've had clients have lunch immediately following their appointment and forget they even had something done!
Curious if your hands are a candidate for treatment? Give us a call today and we can discuss your specific concerns.
Need help with hand rejuvenation?
Book An Appointment. Jolie Visage Rejuvenation Centre is ready to help.
After Hand Rejuvenation, Results and Longevity
You can return to your regular activities immediately following your appointment at our Murrells Inlet office. You walk out the door and back to work. You don't have any restrictions afterward.
When you've received hand rejuvenation in Murrells Inlet, you can return to the same day. One of our patients went straight to MarshWalk to grab a bite to eat after treatment! Most of our patients have only a slight bruising in the treatment area that is easily concealable with make-up or is gone by the following morning.
What Your Hands Will Look Like Following Treatment
- Light redness in the treatment area that subsides in 24 to 48 hours
- Minor bruising at injection sites (if treated with dermal fillers) that can be hidden with make-up
- Stiffness under the skin until fillers settle into your hands
- No restrictions on hand or wrist movement
We tell everyone to take their hands home, they'll be fine and we suggest taking a light hand off of heavy objects that day and just taking it easy. That's pretty much all there is to it. One of our patients forgot they had treatment the next day and just went on with their morning as usual!
Your hands will begin to show signs of rejuvenation the next day. You'll see smoother skin and less visible veins within the first week, but the final results from your treatment should be visible within one to two weeks.
Dermal fillers in the hands typically hold for nine to twelve months, sometimes longer. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says hyaluronic acid fillers are one of the safest volume replacement treatments for your hands. Some of our clients opt to return once a year to refresh, and others make it last longer. We've heard from clients who wished they had invested in this earlier; in some cases, much earlier.
That's the most common comment from clients. Not, "The process was painful," but rather, "Why didn't I schedule this appointment sooner?" So, if you're on the fence, there's no reason for your hands to spend weeks at home with gauze wrapped around them. Plan to spend just a short day at the clinic, take it easy for a few days, and you're back to showing off hands that reflect the energy in your face for many months.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Hand Rejuvenation?
Many of the hand rejuvenation clients who come to our Murrells Inlet office share one thing in common; they like what they see in the mirror in their reflection, until they look down at their hands and see the change. And that happens more than you might imagine. The hands have lost some or a lot of volume. Fat pads are shrinking, veins pop out, tendons show, the skin is thin and crepey or discolored.
Hand volume loss is much more noticeable than on other parts of the body and often starts to be seen as early as the late thirties. If you've noticed this, there's a pretty good chance you might be ready.
The signs of when you're ready include:
- The hands look as if they lack volume and have exposed bony structures.
- The veins or tendons show, creating a skeletal look.
- There's a darkening of your hands. This happens because you might spend a lot of time near the Inlet, where sunspots and sun damage can accumulate.
- The hands are thinner or more fragile than you'd expect.
If they look much older than your face, you can have them refreshed. It really doesn't matter how many of these you have, though. If even one speaks to your experience, then it could be time for a consultation. Age-wise, we treat people from their late thirties all the way into their seventies.
It varies because everyone loses skin volume a bit at a different pace and rate. Some people come in after noticing these changes in their hands at age 42. Others may not see changes in their hands until they're into retirement years. Either one is fine, really.
You should generally be in good health if you're considering hand rejuvenation, though. There must be no active infections, lesions or rashes on the hands. Any blood disorders or blood thinner medicines should be discussed with your physician. You should also be willing to be realistic about what this treatment does.
It replaces volume; it does not turn the hands back into the hands you had in your youth. Over time you may not have someone misjudging your age again because they can see your true age, as reflected in your hands. The hand rejuvenation clients we work with in Murrells Inlet have come in because it's been too long. They haven't been ready before but are now because they're tired of people guessing their age based on their hands.
Or, they're thinking, "I've had the face done. Why not the hands? I want them to be as youthful as I am inside."
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about hand rejuvenation services in Murrells Inlet
What does a hand rejuvenation appointment in Murrells Inlet actually involve?
Your appointment starts with a quick look at your hands and a conversation about what's bothering you most. We clean the skin, apply numbing cream, and then treat based on your goals — fillers, a chemical peel, or both. The whole visit usually takes under an hour. Most people are surprised how fast it goes. You leave with simple aftercare steps and results you can see right away.
How does coastal living in Murrells Inlet affect hand aging?
Living near the water means your hands take a lot of sun exposure year after year. Fishing at the MarshWalk, gardening through the long growing season, even walking to the mailbox in July adds up fast. UV damage is the biggest driver of dark spots and collagen breakdown on hands. People here often have more pigmentation and volume loss than folks in less sunny areas. That's why we adjust our approach for patients with heavy coastal sun exposure.
Can hand rejuvenation fix both dark spots and volume loss at the same time?
Yes, and most people actually need both addressed at once. Hands age in layers — you lose fat underneath while sun damage builds up on top. We use dermal fillers to restore volume and reduce how visible veins and tendons look. We pair that with chemical peels or targeted skin treatments to correct brown spots and uneven tone. Treating just one issue while ignoring the other leaves results that look incomplete.
How long does it take to see results from hand rejuvenation?
Filler results are immediate — you'll notice fuller, smoother hands before you leave the appointment. Chemical peel results take a little longer as the skin sheds and renews over one to two weeks. Microneedling builds collagen gradually, so improvements in texture show up over several weeks. Most people see the biggest overall change about a month after their full treatment plan is done.
Is hand rejuvenation painful?
Most people find it very manageable. We apply a topical numbing cream before we start, so discomfort is minimal. The skin on your hands is thinner than your face, so we work carefully and take our time. Some people feel mild pressure during filler injections, but nothing sharp or intense. After the appointment, your hands may feel a little tender for a day or two, but most people go right back to their normal routine.
Who is a good candidate for hand rejuvenation?
You're a good candidate if your hands look older than the rest of you — visible veins, dark spots, crepey skin, or a bony appearance. This is very common in people in their 40s and beyond, especially those who have spent years outdoors. You don't need to have every issue at once. Even one concern, like stubborn brown spots from years near Garden City and the Inlet, is enough reason to come in and talk through your options.