Do My Hands Need Their Own Skin-Care Regimen?

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images

Not long ago, I would have said absolutely not. Just slap on some hand cream when they feel dry and be done with it. But recently, I’ve been noticing my hands looking veiny and spotty in photos, so much so that I don’t even recognize them as my own. It’s often said that no matter how successful you are at rewinding time on your face, your hands will give the game away. Now I’m experiencing this — sorry for the pun — firsthand.

A lot of new brands have sprung up in the past couple of years with products specifically calibrated to improve skin on the hands. The recently launched Buff Beauty, a chic new entry from the founder of Birchbox, takes it a step further with “skin care for the nails.” But do we really need to invest time and money into a separate regimen? Why isn’t hand cream enough? I asked experts to weigh in on what really works and what we should be doing every day to keep our hands baby soft.

The answer is partly anatomical, says dermatologist Marisa Garshick, M.D.: “The skin on the backs of the hands is relatively thin and has less underlying fat and collagen compared with many other areas of the body.” This means the epidermis loses moisture very quickly and veins and tendons become more prominent with age as the skin thins even more. Our hands are also subject to all kinds of daily assaults we don’t even think about: sun exposure, hand- and dishwashing, rummaging around in our bags, you name it.

Yet our hands don’t necessarily show signs of aging faster than any other place on the body, says dermatologist Shannon Humphrey, M.D., a member of the Vos Collection and founder of Humphrey & Beleznay Cosmetic Dermatology: “Most people scrutinize their faces every day, but the hands tend to be more of an afterthought. By the time we start to notice changes, the aging process can already be quite far along.” This typically happens around age 40, when many of us suddenly look down and think, Uh-oh. “That’s why incorporating the hands into a skin-care routine early, ideally starting in your 20s, can make such a difference in the way your hands age over time,” she says.

No one will be surprised to hear this: use sunscreen. “Sunscreen is the most important topical to use every single day, whether it’s cloudy or sunny,” says Humphrey, who recommends using SPF 50 to protect skin on the hands from collagen breakdown and help prevent brown spots caused by UV. “People often forget about applying sunscreen to their hands when driving, sitting outdoors, or after washing them,” says Garshick. “My favorite hack is to keep sunscreen in places that will help you remember it, like your car, bag, desk, or next to the door. And make applying it to the back of your hands part of your daily morning routine.”

Daily moisturizer is key, says Garshick. She recommends looking for ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, shea butter, and squalane that help replenish and lock in hydration (one of her favorites is Gold Bond Age Renew Crepe-Corrector Hand Cream). And don’t slather on a cream only when your hands are feeling rough, says Humphrey. “Ideally, hand cream should be reapplied after every hand wash. Keeping the skin barrier functioning well not only helps hands stay hydrated but can also help prevent irritation and eczema.”

If you want to be even more proactive about anti-aging, Garshick suggests wearing UPF gloves, such as those from ManiGlovz, when driving or getting gel manicures

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For the most part, yes. The same active ingredients will work just as well on your hands. Humphrey suggests layering a vitamin C serum under your sunscreen for antioxidant protection and says facial products containing ingredients such as peptides, exosomes, and growth factors work nicely on the hands

“Retinoids are the one area where I would use a little more caution,” Humphrey says. “The hands have far fewer oil glands than the face, which can make the skin more sensitive to retinoids, and some people may not be able to tolerate them there.” This is when hand-specific products may be worth the investment. To improve hand texture and tone over time, Garshick likes the Paume Renewing Hand Serum, which contains bakuchiol (a gentle alternative to retinol) along with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and niacinamide, and the Nécessaire Hand Retinol, which combines retinol with glycolic and mandelic acids. “It won’t leave your hands feeling sticky,” she says.

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A skin-care regimen is important, but realistically, there’s a point when products can only do so much. For real rejuvenation, it may be time to tap into your dermatologist’s arsenal of lasers and fillers

“For concerns related to skin quality, patients can extend many of the treatments they may already be doing on their face to their hands,” says Humphrey. IPL, microneedling, fractionated lasers, and other energy-based treatments can improve brown spots, overall tone, and texture and stimulate collagen production. “Hyaluronic-acid microdroplets can be injected to help improve crepiness and hydration,” she says, and biostimulatory treatments such as injections of calcium hydroxylapatite can restore volume and minimize the appearance of prominent veins and tendons.

In the end, Humphrey says, it’s best to consider your hands holistically, making the goal a cohesive appearance in which the skin on your hands matches that of your face, neck, and chest. “If you’re in your 20s or 30s, my advice is to start now with a simple, consistent skin-care routine for your hands,” she says. “And remember that we can achieve meaningful improvements later in life — it may just require a little more effort.”

Do My Hands Need Their Own Skin-Care?