If eyes are the window into the soul, hands are the window into your age. You may feel younger than your age, but there’s a good chance your hands are giving your secret away.
This type of procedure might be right for you if you've ever said:
“I’ve taken care of myself, but my hands age me.”
“I wish they weren’t so sinewy.”
Hand rejuvenation typically involves restoring volume that decreases as we age as well as improving the overall skin appearance and quality.
Our expertise
Hands are delicate and there are many critical structures packed into a small area. Dr. Elston's experience with hand surgery has given him a level of comfort around the hands that other surgeons may not have. Hand rejuvenation is a low-risk, high-reward endeavor that can easily be added to other procedures, particularly if you’re already having liposuction or a laser treatment.
The method
Volume is restored either with injectable filler or your own fat (my preference is fat since it’s permanent). Fat can be harvested from areas that have a little extra unwanted fat, so you get the benefit of liposuction of a small area (think under your neck, inner thighs, lower tummy) and adding that fat to restore lost volume to the backs of your hands. We also recommend adding skin rejuvenation with laser resurfacing or IPL to remove age spots and stimulate new collagen growth.
The procedure
During your consultation, we'll discuss your concerns and goals, and evaluate your hands to determine the best course of treatment for you. Depending on the specific treatment, local anesthesia with or without oral sedation may be used to ensure your comfort.
There are many types of treatment for rejuvenating your hands. The most conservative is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). This non-invasive treatment uses light energy to target pigmented spots on the skin, such as age spots, and cause them to slough over a few days to a week. IPL can also help to stimulate collagen production, but not to the same degree as the next most aggressive treatment.
CO2 Resurfacing is used to remove the outer layer of skin on the hands, revealing smoother, more youthful-looking skin underneath. CO2 laser resurfacing can also stimulate more collagen production than the less invasive IPL, which can improve skin texture and tone.
Finally, autologous fat grafting removes fat from other parts of your body and injects it into the hands to restore lost volume. This fat transfer is permanent and is my preferred technique over filler as it's permanent and filler will only last a few months to a year.
Depending on the specific treatment, recovery time may vary. Generally, patients can return to work and normal activities within a few days to a week following treatment.