This body part can be more susceptible to ageing. Here's how to care for it

The Age

6 hours ago

This story is part of the August 17 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories.
When it comes to hand protection, the first thing to think about is a good SPF50+ cream for daytime and a deeply moisturising one for night. Keep them bedside, so they're the first things you see when you wake up in the morning and the last thing when you go to bed at night. For day, we love Dr Naomi Screen Time ($79) to keep hands moisturised and protected from the elements, such as the sun beating down through the windscreen as you drive.
The best lightweight absorbable hand cream is Nécessaire The Hand Cream ($42), with its high concentration of ceramides, peptides and marula butter to target parched skin. For nighttime repair, try Margaret Dabbs Overnight Hand Mask ($65). And for cracked hands, Dr. Jart+ Cermadidin Moisturizing Hand Cream ($40) has lipids that help retain moisture as well as hydrating glycerin and panthenol to soothe irritated hands.
Unprotected hands are susceptible to age spots, discolouration and skin laxity. Bearing this in mind, we have tracked down the best fingerless sun gloves (so you can scroll away to your heart's content) – Coolibar MaxShield Multi-Sport Fingerless Gloves ($62). They're made from a breathable fabric and are perfect for shielding the backs of your hands from damaging UV rays.
As with the face, weekly exfoliation of hands is essential, so use a gentle granular exfoliator such as L'Occitane Shea Butter One-Minute Hand Scrub ($19) to keep them smooth. You can also use your face-treatment products – for example by applying excess face serum and moisturiser to the backs of your hands before adding a hand cream.
Awareness of our hands' vulnerability has seen an uptick in anti-ageing treatments like lasers, peels and even injectables. Picosecond lasers deliver energy in short pulses, the laser breaking down the pigment into tiny particles which are then eliminated by the body. Fractional CO2 ablative lasers reduce both pigmentation and fine lines by resurfacing the skin and improving tone and texture. The downtime for this treatment is around 10 days, with swelling, redness and shedding of the skin common side effects.
On the extreme end, filler treatments injected into the back of the hand between the wrist and the knuckle help plump skin and address loss of volume by boosting any sunken areas around prominent veins and tendons. These fillers usually last around a year.
Microneedling is also effective and can be boosted with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) or radiofrequency to help stimulate collagen and elastin production, helping to minimise fine lines and wrinkles. For a take-home option, try Omnilux LED Contour Glove ($370), with red-light therapy to target pigmentation and help reduce inflammation.