How Your Hands Can Make You Look Older Than You Are

While you likely spend most of your anti-aging efforts diminishing wrinkles or evening out discoloration on your face, anti-aging hand treatments tend to be an afterthought. That is until you snap a picture of that fresh mani and suddenly you realize your hands are betraying your age.

Why Do You Get Brown Spots on Your Hands?

Brown spots, which are also called age spots or freckles, are your skin’s reaction to years of sun exposure. Ultraviolet light—that includes the sun’s rays, as well as tanning beds and lamps—boosts melanin production in the upper layer of your skin. Usually, this causes a tan, but buildups of melanin can occur, creating brown spots that are often associated with premature aging.

Why Are Brown Spots a Sign of Premature Aging?

Technically, the term “age spots” is a bit misleading, as these pigmentation spots are not directly correlated with time. It stands to reason, though, that as you age, your accumulated sun exposure increases, meaning you’re likely to see more dark spots on your hands than a person in their 20s. In fact, children can develop age spots too, though they’re often called “freckles.”

What Causes Premature Aging of the Hands?

As mentioned, the top cause of these darks spots is UV exposure, which includes spending time in the sun sans sunscreen, in tanning beds, or under tanning lamps.

There are three other factors that can increase your risk of developing sun spots:

1. Genetics: If your parents have age spots or freckles, you’re more likely to develop them.
2. Medications: Medications can increase your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, meaning they could put you at an increased risk of developing pigment spots.
3. Skin tone: Fair skin is more susceptible to age spots because it produces more melanin than darker skin tones as a way to protect the deeper layers of your skin.

To prevent more age spots from developing on your hands, avoid spending long periods in the sun and remember to always apply sunscreen to the backs of your hands, regardless of the weather or season. (Remember, UV rays are present year-round, even in winter and cloudy conditions.) A minimum of SPF 30 is recommended and should be reapplied throughout the day.

How to Treat Brown Spots on Your Hands

If you want to diminish dark spots and other signs of premature aging on the back of your hands, you may want to consider Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments for skin rejuvenation. IPL treatments deliver light through the upper layers of the skin, which creates heat when absorbed by damaged tissue—this helps to reduce the appearance of discoloration. Treatments are very comfortable with no downtime.

To discover more about IPL-based skin rejuvenation treatments, find a certified treatment provider near you by using the search field below: