Age spots on the hands. Work protocols. Peculiarities.

What do our hands see throughout our lives? Shock doses of ultraviolet radiation, hypothermia, heavy bags, caustic household chemicals, constant mechanical impact and contact with water.

It is not surprising that they age faster than the face, early turning into spotted and wrinkled “chicken feet”.

Just don’t need to burn or scrape anything; lasers and mechanical grinding won’t help. There are natural and healthy ways to eliminate age spots and rejuvenate your hands. We'll tell you which ones.

Age spots: what are they?

Skin color is determined by the pigment melanin, which is produced by melanocyte cells (do not confuse both of these terms with melatonin, a sleep hormone that has nothing to do with color).

The place of residence of melanocytes and melanin is the epidermis, that is, the upper layer of the skin. Melanocytes produce melanin granules and, through their processes, inject “grains” of this pigment onto the surface of the skin.

European women have less melanin in their skin, while representatives of the Negroid race have more. This pigment is also responsible for hair color, but that’s not about that now.

In general, the production of melanin in the epidermis is a beneficial process. This is how our skin is protected from ultraviolet radiation. Tanning, in fact, is the result of the active work of melanocytes for a defensive purpose.

But melanin can accumulate in certain areas of the skin. Then pigment spots form. This condition is also called hyperpigmentation.

Often pigment spots appear on the face, décolleté, back and arms.

The production of melanin is controlled by the pituitary gland, thyroid gland and gonads.

Frequently asked questions about darkening of the skin on the legs

Could darkening of the skin be associated with varicose veins in the legs?

Yes, the most common cause of darkening (hyperpigmentation) of the skin is varicose veins. These changes occur due to the accumulation of hemosiderin (a breakdown product of hemoglobin) in the skin and subcutaneous fat.

Why does darkening of the skin occur with varicose veins?

Darkening of the skin with varicose veins occurs due to prolonged stagnation of venous blood in the distal parts of the lower extremities. One of the results of this stagnation will be chronic inflammation with red blood cells leaking outside the venous vessels. Subsequently, the hemoglobin present in these cells will provide local pigmentation of the skin.

Darkening of the skin, how to deal with it?

You can effectively combat darkening of the skin due to varicose veins with the help of timely treatment of the varicose veins themselves.

How to avoid darkening of the skin?

Hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) can be avoided through effective treatment and prevention of varicose veins. Periodic visits to a phlebologist with duplex ultrasound scanning of the venous bed will be the best way to avoid possible darkening of the skin.

Features of aging hands

Have you heard the banal phrase that hands are the first to reveal a woman’s age? Alas, this is the bitter truth.

Look at the celebrities. If the age on the face can be hidden behind makeup, “beauty injections” and braces, then the hands will reveal it instantly. These wrinkled “chicken feet” with age spots literally scream that the young star is no longer fresh. And, most likely, she is interested in artificial “rejuvenation” rather than natural. If you prolong your youth by activating natural physiological mechanisms, this can be seen both in your face and in your hands. And here the face is not organic, and the hands are old. You can't hide the truth.

But first things first.

Why do hands age faster than your face?

• They are most susceptible to the influence of negative external factors.
  In summer, the hands are always exposed to the sun; in winter, they often become hypothermic. And what is the cost of constant contact with household chemicals and mechanical impact! How often do you wash dishes, clean plumbing, do wet cleaning, soak stains, do laundry? Do you always wear gloves? Here is the answer.
• The skin of the hands differs in its anatomical structure from the skin of the face.
  It has fewer sebaceous glands, which means less lipids are produced that protect against negative external factors. And those lipids that exist are constantly washed away and “corroded” by numerous household chores.

  There is also lower blood circulation in the skin of the hands. And the vessels give strength, renewal, resistance to external negative factors. The less developed microcirculation, the faster the skin fades.

  Read also:  A man at a cosmetologist’s appointment: features of anatomy, facial aging and the most popular procedures
• We pay less attention to our hands than to our face.
  As a rule, we leave taking care of them for later.

Types of age spots on hands

Spots on the hands can be of various sizes, from specks to “islands”. Brown, white, yellow, bronze, brown...

They can form for various reasons and look different. What types of age spots on the hands are there:

1. Lentigo
   – These are age-related brown spots that appear naturally. Most often - due to long exposure to ultraviolet rays and accumulation of photodamage to the skin.

   Have you noticed your hands, which are covered with small dark brown spots mixed with lighter “islands”? These are “age spots” - the most common type of hyperpigmentation on the hands.

2. Chloasma
   is dark spots with clear, uneven boundaries, which usually appear due to hormonal changes. A common option is spots on the face during pregnancy or when taking contraceptives. Hands are less susceptible to chloasma. Such spots can be brown, yellowish, or grayish in color.
3. Vitiligo
   is white spots, loss of pigment. Melanin in such areas is usually completely absent. The contrast between healthy skin and vitiligo increases during tanning. One of the main reasons for their appearance is frostbite.
4. Nevi.
   They are also called moles. These are benign pigmented neoplasms with clear contours. They can transform into malignant ones. Dangerous signals are changes in their color, shape, size, structure, as well as peeling, bleeding, itching, pain.
5. Freckles.
   They happen not only on the face, but also on the hands, although much less frequently. These are small pigment dots that become brighter in spring and summer, and fade in autumn and winter. They can have a shade from gray to orange.

Port-wine stains or hemangiomas stand apart. In their case, it is no longer a matter of melanin, but of the expansion and proliferation of blood vessels in a certain area of ​​the body. Hence the specific color of such spots - from red to purple. May be native or acquired.

Why do pigment spots appear on the hands?

There are many factors that influence the appearance of age spots on the hands.

Some of them are difficult (or almost impossible) to influence naturally, without medical intervention. For example, if this is a genetic predisposition or the result of diseases of internal organs: liver, adrenal glands, bile ducts, genitals.

But most often we can fight pigment spots on our hands on our own. This applies to cases where they arose for the following reasons.

1. Ultraviolet.
   As already mentioned, our body actively releases melanin when it needs to protect itself from the aggressive effects of the sun. This is how a tan appears, that is, an increased content of pigment in the epidermis. But with the accumulation of photodamage, the color becomes uneven and spotty.

   And the hands are the most unprotected part of the body. We protect our face with creams with SPF and hats. What do you do for your hands before every time you go outside?

2. Changes in hormonal levels.
   Melanin production is associated with the activity of the sex hormones progesterone and estrogen. Therefore, any hormonal imbalance is a risk of increased accumulation of pigment in the skin. This applies to periods of pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, taking hormonal medications and contraceptives.
3. Stress.
   The nervous and hormonal systems are closely related to each other. If the health of the nervous system is disrupted, it will ricochet through the hormonal system. And then read point 2.
4. Skin inflammation and injury.
   This is the cause of the development of so-called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This problem is often encountered by “victims” of aggressive cosmetic procedures: laser resurfacing, injections, chemical peels, etc. The skin reacts to injury by releasing melanin and becoming mottled. This, of course, applies more to the face. But hands are also exposed to dangerous cosmetic effects, which means they run the risk of becoming stained.
5. Hypovitaminosis.
   The appearance of age spots may be associated with a lack of vitamins A, C, E, B12, PP, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and selenium.
6. Hypothermia.
   Injury to the hands from cold can subsequently cause white spots.
7. Poor microcirculation.
   When skin cells do not receive enough nutrients and oxygen, melanin can accumulate in its layers.

Which whitening hand cream should I use for pigmentation on my hands?

The effect of creams and masks that are used in cosmetology to whiten age spots is due to the presence of substances that destroy melanin. Which hand whitening cream should I use for pigmentation on my hands, and which cream will really be effective? The following types of funds should be noted:

1. In first place in popularity are creams containing hydroquinone . This substance inhibits the coloring enzyme, and the skin becomes lighter in color.

Important: Hydroquinone is a carcinogen and is not suitable for all people. Self-medication can be dangerous - you need to consult a dermatologist!

You may find unsafe substances such as mercury. It is cheap and therefore often used in cosmetology for skin whitening. Do a test before using the cosmetic product. If it is negative, then start treatment.

2. Cosmetics with glycolic acid . This substance has a beneficial effect on the upper layer of the epidermis, exfoliating it and brightening the cells of the following layers

3. Creams with adelaic acid will perfectly whiten the skin and remove all existing inflammation

4. Creams and masks with vegetable oils and other natural ingredients have an excellent effect in the treatment of age spots of varying complexity

Causes of age spots on the hands after 40, 50, 60 years

Women after 40, 50, 60 years old often develop pigment spots on their hands - the so-called age-related lentigines. But their real reason is not the number of years you have lived, but the number of photodamages that you have accumulated throughout your life.

After all, the sun leaves a mark on your skin every day, every minute during daylight hours, starting from your infancy. And this ultimately affects the work of melanocytes and the accumulation of melanin.

In 9 out of 10 cases, the main cause of age spots on the hands is ultraviolet radiation. And the older you are, the higher the likelihood of this problem occurring.

Plus, menopause and hormonal fluctuations also make themselves felt.

Another extreme option is possible - frostbite on the hands. Because of it, pigmentation may decrease over time, which will manifest itself in the formation of white spots.

Drug treatment

Medicines for pigmentation are prescribed by a dermatologist after a complete examination of the patient and establishment of the exact causes of the appearance of a cosmetic defect.

Depending on the identified disease, therapy may include:

• hormonal agents;
• antidiarrheal medications;
• tablets for the treatment of gastritis, stomach ulcers;
• probiotics;
• laxatives;
• diuretics;
• vitamin complexes.

Attention: any medications are allowed to be taken only as prescribed by a doctor!

It is not possible to get rid of pathological pigmentation using cosmetic methods alone. Without normalization of the functioning of the corresponding body systems, the spots will appear again.

How to quickly get rid of age spots

If you are the owner of age spots on your hands, then you probably already know about peelings, laser, ultrasound, infrared rays and other cosmetic procedures that promise a quick solution to the problem.

But are they really that good?

First of all, it's not all that fast. For example, after the first laser procedure, spots may only fade, but for them to completely disappear you need to complete a course. As a rule, 3-10 procedures are required with breaks between sessions of 3-4 weeks. That is, wait six months or a year and give back 20-30 thousand.

Secondly (and this is the main thing), all these methods do not eliminate the problem and do not guarantee that the stains will disappear forever. Their effect is temporary, until the sun hits the skin for the first time.

But the procedures have a lot of pitfalls. Let’s take, for example, the most popular option – laser stain removal. What to expect from him?

Laser removal procedure for age spots on hands

The laser is said to destroy melanin and activate skin restoration. As a result, tissues with excess pigment are literally replaced by tissues with normal pigment content.

At the same time, the rhetoric with which cosmetologists present the procedure puts people in a peaceful mood. Allegedly, “the laser is safe”, “the pigment absorbs the light flux and heats up”, “it has a targeted effect only on melanin”, “microthermal treatment zones are created”, etc. Listen to dermatologists, this is just a “thermal resort” for the skin!

But what's really going on? The skin is attacked with a hot ray, burned, and evaporated. The damaged area may be subject to a fragmented effect (fractional thermolysis), or perhaps a total effect (laser resurfacing), but in any case, not only melanin is affected.

The skin is deliberately damaged so that a crust forms, which then falls off and the integument becomes white. Therefore, redness and peeling are inevitable. Scar deformities also develop.

And what was this traumatic procedure with a long rehabilitation period for? So that when you go out into the sun for the first time, your hands become stained again? The reasons for the formation of hyperpigmentation have not been eliminated; the spots have only been “cleaned off” for a while (very short).

The skin has not become younger. On the contrary, the preconditions were only created for its accelerated decline. Acquired scars did not add life to the cells and intercellular matrix, but only interfered with the nutrition of the tissues. And what will the lack of nutrition lead to? Back to the accumulation of melanin.

Therefore, laser is not a solution.

Should I use cosmetics?

Yes, cosmetics are needed, but alone they cannot effectively cope with the problem. Read about the main way to combat age spots on the hands - self-massage - in the next chapter.

In the meantime, we’ll tell you what cosmetic care we supplement it with.

There are two main tips.

1. Apply sunscreen to your hands.
   Have you already mastered the healthy habit of applying SPF cream to your face all year round (after all, the winter sun is also harmful)? Now complement the procedure by treating your hands. Do this whenever you go outside without gloves. No matter what is outside the window: heat, rain, wind or snowstorm.

   Use your favorite sunscreen on your face or body. Beauty365 facial moisturizers, rich in plant ingredients, provide good protection. You can choose the option with SPF15 or SPF25. Look for them at www.beauty365.ru.

2. Use anti-pigment cosmetics.
   You are unlikely to find whitening cosmetics specifically for hands. Yes, she is not needed. Any face or body product with an anti-pigment effect will do. Creams, serums, oils.

   Cosmetics should contain high doses of antioxidants to enhance the skin's natural antioxidant defenses.

   We advise you to choose organic products rich in vitamins and acids. A great option is Beauty365 camellia sasanqua oil. This universal anti-aging product, among other things, whitens age spots and fights the appearance of freckles during the season.

Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. This also applies to pigmentation. Therefore, take preventative measures to avoid cosmetic defects.

Cosmetologists advise: in the summer, when the sun is in its active phase, stay more in the shade, wear light clothes, lubricate the skin with creams with a high level of sun protection. Wear sunglasses and hats, and if pigmentation does appear, get a blood test and get a liver test.

In general, there are several ways to combat age spots. This includes proper nutrition, procedures in beauty salons, folk recipes and specialized remedies for age spots on the hands.

Proper nutrition

A proper diet is the basis for treating pigmentation. A balanced diet saturates the body with vitamins and useful minerals. The diet should contain more fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish, and dairy products.

Avoid fried and fatty foods, which strain the liver. The health, color, and tone of the skin completely depend on the proper functioning of the liver.

Procedures in beauty salons

Noticed hyperpigmentation on your hands? Make an appointment at a beauty salon with a qualified cosmetologist. Several types of procedures are performed here to get rid of skin defects. This:

1. Dermabrasion is superficial resurfacing of pigmented areas. These are removed, revealing healthy layers of skin. The epidermis is renewed, becomes smooth, beautiful, and light. The result will be noticeable after 2-3 sessions.
2. Chemical peeling is the removal of stains using chemical compounds. The final result will become noticeable a week later, after the skin is cleansed and renewed.
3. Cryotherapy is the effect of liquid nitrogen on pigmentation. The tissue freezes, dies and is rejected. The spots disappear along with them.
4. Laser removal – destruction of melanin by laser beams. The radiation affects the affected areas and does not affect surrounding tissues. Before the session, a colorless gel is applied to the skin to ensure close contact with the emitter. The number of sessions depends on the severity of the defect. If the pigmentation is in the deep layers and the spots are large, several manipulations will be needed. After each session, you need a break for a month to allow the skin to rest.

Salon methods show good results and allow you to get rid of age spots on your hands in a short period of time. The result will last for a long time, but provided that you stop exposure to the factors that caused the problem.

Cosmetical tools

There is a large selection of remedies for age spots on the hands. Some of them have a pronounced effect, others are less effective. Below are the most popular anti-pigmentation creams that have earned the best consumer reviews:

1. SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Gel. Contains phloretin, ferulic acid, vitamin C. The components of the drug reduce cell damage caused by ultraviolet radiation, activate collagen production, increase skin elasticity and tone.
2. Serum Kiehl's, Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution. Helps remove hyperpigmentation caused by photodamage or other factors. Contains vitamin C, peony and birch extract. Evens out skin tone and makes it radiant. Good prevention against hyperpigmentation in the future.
3. Cream Garnier Ambre Solaire “Expert Protection”, SPF 50. Contains vitamin E. High sun protection factor. The cream prevents photoaging and hyperpigmentation.
4. Hand cream that eliminates pigmentation on hands, South Beach Skin Solutions (USA). A very effective remedy for pigmentation. Complete skin lightening in just 10 days, with a 100% guarantee of effect. The result is noticeable after the first use. The spots become lighter with each procedure, and then disappear completely. It brightens not only the hands, but also other areas of the body. Effectively copes even with freckles. Contains natural ingredients and is therefore safe for health. Not only brightens the skin, but also makes it more elastic, youthful, and radiant.

In general, the effect of masks and creams for whitening age spots is based on the ability of the components included in the preparations to destroy melanin. Interestingly, the main component that destroys pigment is hydroquinone. But hydroquinone is a carcinogen and is not suitable for everyone. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful when choosing funds. By the way, the last cream from our rating, South Beach Skin Solutions (USA), does not contain hydroquinone! It qualitatively brightens due to other components: zinc oxide, glycerin, emulsifying wax and plant components with a whitening effect.

Please note that medications may even contain mercury. It is cheap and is often added to cosmetic products for whitening. So be careful.

Cosmetologists advise choosing masks and creams with plant extracts and natural ingredients. They are safe and effective in treating age spots on the hands of any severity.

Folk recipes

If you can’t afford a hand cream that gets rid of pigmentation on your hands, as well as expensive procedures in beauty salons, you can try folk remedies. Help to whiten hyperpigmentation:

• lemon juice;
• fresh cucumber;
• White clay;
• kefir.

There are many recipes using the listed ingredients to help lighten hyperpigmentation. You need to do the procedures regularly, then the effect will be noticeable.

Recipes for removing age spots:

1. Take ½ teaspoon each of clay, baking soda, talcum powder. Mix the ingredients, add 3% hydrogen peroxide. The mixture should resemble thick sour cream in consistency. Apply the composition, leave for 5-10 minutes, rinse.
2. Dilute hydrogen peroxide 3% in a 1 to 1 ratio with water. Moisten the skin with a cotton swab. Repeat the procedure once a week.
3. Sauerkraut juice and white clay should be mixed and applied for 15 minutes. Then wash off.
4. Mix 25 drops of peroxide, 25 drops of ammonia with two tbsp. l. sour cream. Lubricate the stains with the mixture, wrap with plastic wrap and a towel on top. Leave on for 25 minutes, then rinse off.
5. Take one part vinegar 9%, one part vodka and half part peroxide. Mix the ingredients, add the juice of one lemon. Pour the resulting lotion into a dark glass container. Use twice daily. Apply for 10 minutes, then rinse and apply moisturizer.

You need to take care of your skin regularly. You must not neglect pigmentation, otherwise it will be difficult to remove stains.

Folk recipes

Pharmaceutical and cosmetic products are multi-component, so one person may react normally to them, while another will have an allergic reaction. Be sure to conduct a sensitivity test before applying a specific drug. It's simple: apply the cream to the inside of your wrist, wait 20 minutes. If there is no rash or redness, the product can be used.

After using whitening creams, you need to stay at home for 1-2 hours, since cleansing the skin causes a reaction to ultraviolet radiation, and exposure to sunlight can cause a burn. If the cream does not contain sun protection, supplement your care with SPF.

Cosmetics or procedures in salons are used only after consultation with a doctor - remember this. The dermatologist will give recommendations on products and cosmetic procedures that are suitable for you, and determine the cause of hyperpigmentation. And don’t forget that the disease is easier to prevent, so don’t neglect prevention.