Your Beautiful Magazine!
Page 20
Female Focus
The hands, together with the face, are usually the areas of the body most affected by ageing. On past articles we have dealt with many of the techniques used for the rejuvenation of the face, in this one I would like to mention the procedures use to rejuvenate the hands.
Hand lift.
Ageing alone, or in combination with other factors such as sun exposure, smoking and some medical conditions, causes a gradual atrophy of the skin that becomes very evident on the hands. The skin becomes gradually paper thin and covered with brown spots (in lay English also called ‘cemetery flowers’). The underlying subcutaneous fatty tissue disappears making veins very evident and finally because lack of elasticity, the skin gives way showing pronounced wrinkles. The initial focus is the prevention and early treatment of these symptoms by avoiding further sun exposure as soon as brown spots appear as they are the very first early warning that our skin has had enough sun for the rest of its days and that in the future it should be avoided or strong sun blockers should be used over any exposed areas. It is also a good moment to reconsider some habits such as smoking and to begin with a regular use of moisturising creams. Skin spots can be treated with cytostatic preparations such as 5-fluoracile 5% (always under medical supervision), laser, cauterisation or chemical peelings. a good diet is also advised with meals rich in vitamins A, E and C which act as anti-oxidants and stimulate epithelial cells. The thinning of the subcutaneous fat can also be treated with autologous fat injections (fatty tissue taken from a donor site such as the tummy or thigh by liposuction and later re-injected in under the skin) or with other filers such as hyaluronic acid. When the wrinkles are so evident that all the above has
failed, or they are in a state at which the improvement may not be enough, surgery can be performed with very good results. In this case, the incisions will be placed on the margins of the back of the hand and in between the knuckle joints as these are places where the scarring is minimum if any, and will not show once healed. The procedure can be performed with local anaesthesia with or without sedation. It usually takes about one hour depending on the degree of damage. It is best to do one hand at a time as it will be then covered with compressive dressings for about 3 days in order to contain any possible postoperative bleeding. If not, this bleeding may result in a haematoma that could compromise the healing. Stitches will be removed after 10 days and in the meanwhile it is advised just a minimum movement of the hand and the use of a sling to avoid the swelling. The results are usually satisfactory but it is important to emphasise that they will also depend on the previous degree of health and skin damage of the patient. Also that, as in many other procedures, it is essential to carry a pre-op medical check and a good post-op follow up. My advice once again is to avoid direct and unprotected sun exposure especially after the age of 50 in both men and women. Sun will be at its peak during the solstice by the end of June. It may not be as warm as in August but bear in mind that June’s sun is far stronger than any other month in the year. Best wishes to you all. Don’t forget that if you are going to have visitors, if they come from the north, they should be protected as they are the ones whose skin is less prepared for the sun.
hand showing signs of age
Article supplied by Dr. I. Poole, Clinica El Arenal
which can can be found at Av. Arenal 2, Jávea.
Tel: 965 792 418 11am - 1pm or 652 286 720 (24hr).
Dr.I.Poole@gmail.com
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