Whether you’re showing off shiny rings or a pretty new manicure, your hands are often on display. Everyone loves to have pretty hands. But what are those little spots? Could they be age spots on your hands?
If so, the good news is that the age spots on your hands are harmless. But if their appearance bothers you, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, the skin care experts at SiO tell you what they are and how to treat (and prevent!) them.
What Are Age Spots?
Simply put, age spots are small, dark spots on your skin. They’re not raised bumps, nor are they itchy or flaky.
Age spots feel just like the rest of your skin — the only difference is the color. They can be tan, brown, or even close to black.
Typically, age spots appear on your face, hands, arms, upper back, or the tops of your feet. What do all those locations have in common? Frequent sun exposure.
Age spots are also sometimes called “sun spots” for that very reason — because they usually turn up on skin that’s most exposed to the sun.
While age spots are more common in your later years (after the age of 40 or 50), they don’t automatically appear as you age. You may find age spots on your hands at an earlier age if you spend a lot of time basking in the sunshine.
That being said, if you have suspicious-looking spots on your skin, don’t just assume they’re age spots. It’s always wise to ask a dermatologist if you’re concerned about your skin.
But once you find out they’re really just age spots and you’d rather do away with them, we’ve got some tips and tricks for you.
Why Do You Get Age Spots On Your Hands?
Before we tell you how to prevent and treat the age spots on your hands, let’s talk about why you get them.
Age spots are just little areas of skin that are darker than the rest of your skin. The fancy name for that darker skin is “hyperpigmentation.”
Ultraviolet light (think sunshine) speeds up the production of melanin, which is what makes your skin darker. Melanin is the reason that a day in the sun leaves you with a tan. But after years of repeated sun exposure, cells produce too much melanin and hyperpigmentation occurs.
You might be asking yourself if tanning beds also contribute to age spots on your hands. The answer is yes.
If you’re serious about warding off age spots, protect yourself from the sun and stay out of the tanning bed.
As lovely as it is to enjoy a day in the warm sun, ultraviolet rays can damage your skin in more than one way. Besides contributing to age spots, excess sun exposure can damage collagen.
And if you’re at all concerned about skin aging and wrinkles, you’ll want to protect your collagen. Collagen gives your skin strength and structure, and it’s what makes your skin look firm and youthful.
As you mature, your skin naturally produces less collagen. But there’s something you can do to slow that aging process down!
We’ve already mentioned one great way to salvage your collagen: protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun. Another great way to take care of your collagen and keep your skin young-looking is by using SiO Beauty Patches.
These medical-grade silicone patches boost collagen production. That firms your skin and improves skin elasticity, making your wrinkles less noticeable.
While you’ll see the effects of SiO patches after just one night, the results are also cumulative over time. So, the longer you use them the smoother your skin!
We’ve got patches for all your wrinkles, from the SiO FaceLift to the SiO Elbow & Knee Rescue Lift, including a special set of patches for your hands.
Now that you understand the why behind age spots, let’s get practical. What can you do about them?
Four Ways To Treat And Prevent Age Spots On Your Hands
The conventional methods of treating age spots on your hands involve a trip to the dermatologist and pricey treatments like chemical peels, skin lightening creams, or microdermabrasion.
If you want to avoid those harsh treatments but still reduce age spots and other signs of aging, we’ve got a few ideas for you.
1) Be Smart About Sun Exposure
Since age spots ultimately come from sun exposure, protecting yourself from ultraviolet rays is probably the best thing you can do to treat and prevent age spots on your hands.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a warm summer day — just be skin-smart about it. First, avoid sun exposure during midday, when the sun’s damaging rays are at their strongest.
Second, give your skin some shade. For your hands, that might mean spending more time under an umbrella or wearing a thin pair of gloves.
To protect the rest of your body, cover up with a hat, a swimsuit coverup, a skirt — anything that keeps you cool and protects your skin at the same time. Also, don’t forget to protect your eyes. Don a pair of sunglasses to protect the sensitive skin around your eyes and prevent expression lines from forming.
Third, use sunscreen. You probably already know the sunscreen drill, but you might be forgetting to apply sunscreen to the backs of your hands.
Wear sunscreen even if it’s a cloudy day and make sure to reapply frequently, especially if you’re in the water or getting sweaty.
2) Hydrate Your Hands
If you’re concerned about signs of aging, which include age spots on your hands, it’s time to get on top of your skin care game. Besides just looking brighter, healthy and hydrated skin is more resilient and holds up better against damage like ultraviolet rays.
Hydrate like a skin care pro by using a hand mask frequently and by wearing SiO Beauty patches every night.
Hand masks trap moisture and deliver needed nutrients to your skin. And SiO Beauty patches create a special microclimate that draws moisture from the lower skin layers into the outer skin layer. That not only hydrates your skin, but it also causes the outer layer to plump, which fills in wrinkles and fine lines.
Kill two birds with one stone — hydrate your hands and reduce wrinkles with SiO Beauty patches!
3) Exfoliate Your Hands
Another way to reduce age spots and show some love to your hands? Exfoliate the skin on your hands.
Exfoliation scrubs off the dead cells on your skin’s surface, revealing fresh skin cells underneath. Little by little, exfoliation can help reduce the age spots on your hands.
Try a homemade exfoliant with lemon juice, which naturally bleaches and exfoliates your skin. You can put a drop of lemon juice directly onto your skin or mix it with sugar to create your own exfoliant scrub.
4) Push Back Signs Of Aging With SiO Beauty Patches
No one likes to see their skin aging, whether that means wrinkles and fine lines or age spots. Get the upper hand on aging by using SiO Beauty patches every night.
Simply put the patches on before you go to sleep. While you’re snoozing, the patches will be hard at work hydrating your skin, boosting collagen production, and smoothing out wrinkles. Take them off in the morning and marvel at your gorgeous skin.
Plus, SiO Beauty patches can be reused up to 15 times! In the morning, just put them right back where they came from and they’ll be waiting for you that night. Now that’s what we call smart, economic skin care.
Don’t wait any longer to slow down signs of aging! Make today the day you start pushing back wrinkles and the age spots on your hands.
Be smart about sun exposure, exfoliate and hydrate your hands, and get your own set of SiO Beauty patches, and you’ll be well on your way to gorgeous hands!
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