Why Do My Hands Look So Old, And How Can I Get Younger-Looking Hands?

My hands are looking old. It’s a complaint that many women have about their hands, when they would love to have the soft, smooth, line-free hands that they see in ads for skin lotions and jewelry. Instead, they look at their own hands and see blue veins, or raised veins on the tops of their hands, a network of lines that make their hands look way older than the rest of their appearance. I have my grandmother’s hands! is what they often think, and if you feel like your hands are looking aged, you might avoid wearing the gorgeous rings and bracelets that are so in fashion now, to avoid bringing attention to your hands and the veins that have somehow sprung up like a map that leads to unhappiness.  While celebrities who notably have veiny hands – think Angelina Jolie and Madonna – might not be concerned with their veiny hands (or maybe they are!) you probably want your hands to look young, fresh, healthy and pretty.

You may have started ‘working’ on your hands, applying nightly hand creams and other “fountain of youth” lotions that can be quite expensive, and frustrating when you find that your skin is softer, but those blue and bulging veins are still very evident. And those raised lines might even have been noticed by your partner or your child. There’s something going on beneath the surface of your skin that your dermatologist can help correct.

First, here’s why you’re seeing blue veins and raised veins on your hands: as you age, you naturally lose some skin elasticity and subcutaneous fatty tissue in the backs of your hands, and when that happens, you lose water content in your hand tissue. You might also have a genetic predisposition to veiny hands, which can speed up the appearance of hand veins. So, it’s likely age and genetics making your hands look old.

Treatment From Your Dermatologist

Your dermatologist can help, offering treatments for more than just age spots on your hands. In a simple, painless procedure conducted by your doctor, sclerotherapy can reduce the condition that makes those blue veins bulge and show through your skin. Sclerotherapy is a procedure in which your board-certified dermatologist uses a very fine needle to inject a solution (generally a safe salt solution) directly into the veins you’d like corrected. The solution affects the lining of the blood vessel, causing it to swell and stick together, which causes the vein to turn into scar tissue and fade from view.

Don’t worry that losing that vein will affect your circulation. A highly-qualified dermatologist can maintain proper blood flow through your hands and arms, since there are so many veins in your hands, and knowledge and expertise lead your doctor to safely reduce or eliminate the unattractive veins. Your doctor will also advise you on what to do and what not to do before your sclerotherapy procedure – such as avoiding taking aspirin. Your doctor needs to know which medications or herbal supplements you’re taking, since you may need to avoid certain medicines before your treatment. And, you may be advised not to do any aerobic activity for a few days after your hand vein procedure.

You’ll also need to let your doctor know if you’re pregnant, since vein procedures cannot be done on pregnant patients, so you may have to wait a few months until after the baby arrives to start on your quick and easy path to younger-looking hands.  Also, while you’re sharing your medical information and the list of medications you’re taking with your doctor, be sure to inform your physician if you’re on birth control pills, since these too are on the list of medications to avoid when you want a hand vein procedure done. And if you’ve had blood clot issues in the past, your doctor needs to know about that as well.

You may be wondering how long you’ll have to hide your hands after your vein procedure. Your hands won’t be bandaged up and unusable, so don’t fear missing work or not being able to function in your daily activities. After sclerotherapy, you may see some redness in the injection areas, and you may get some mild itching that can last for one or two days after your procedure. You might also see some raised, red areas at the injection site and your doctor should see these if they are uncomfortable, but they should disappear within a few days. Bruising can also happen at your injection site, and that can last several days up to several weeks. Don’t apply concealer or makeup on top of these, since you can run a risk of creating an infection. To know all of the precautions that you will need to take before a hand vein procedure contact your doctor to ask about simple steps you can take to safely recover.

Type of Treatment by Board Certified Dermatologist

Talk to your board-certified dermatologist about which type of treatment is best for eliminating hand veins and returning your hands to their youthful appearance, so that you can show off your manicures, your jewelry, and your enviably gorgeous hands at any social or work functions you’ll attend.  Our hands are an area that we flaunt all of the time, they are always out there for everyone to study.  You may very well find that soon after your vein procedure friends will ask for your secret to those beautiful hands of yours!