Time on your Hands

By: Katharine Griffiths
Created on 25th March 2010

Your hands can be the biggest giveaway of your age and are ironicallymamongst the most difficult areas to treat. However, a recent study by top dermatologist Dr Stefanie Williams shows that Restylane Vital effectively improves skin texture on the backs of the hands. Cosmetic Surgery & Aesthetics Guide investigates

Gone are the days when anti-ageing was all about managing lines and wrinkles; these days it is widely accepted that good skin quality is just as important in maintaining a youthful appearance. And sadly it's not just our faces we need to worry about, as the décolletage and the skin on the backs of the hands can be huge indicators of age.

Until recently, anti-ageing treatments for the hands were virtually non-existent, unless you count the ageold trick of slathering them in Vaseline before bed! And those treatments that did exist tended to deal mainly with pigmentation problems rather than tackling skin texture.

Injectable moisture
However, a new generation of injectable hyaluronic acid products claims to address the issue of poor skin quality on the backs of the hands by hydrating the skin from the inside. Restylane Vital is a stabilised, non-animal hyaluronic acid product, designed to maintain skin hydration by increasing its moisture retention.

Ideally suited for use on photo-damaged skin on the face and hands, Restylane Vital can be used as a skin rejuvenation procedure in its own right to boost complexion and tone, or as a preparatory
treatment to improve skin quality before commencing aesthetic treatments with dermal fillers.

Put to the test
With every beauty product on the market claiming to make us look younger, what we really want to see is hard clinical evidence. And luckily for us, the doctors performing the treatments want to see that too.

Dr Stefanie Williams and her colleagues at the Harley Street clinic European Dermatology London launched an independent study into the efficacy of Restylane Vital as compared to a non-stabilised hyaluronic acid product which claims to offer the same benefits.

The study, which has been published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, found that injectable hyaluronic acid not only improved the appearance of ageing skin on the hands, but also benefited its physiological function. What was particularly interesting, however, was that Restylane Vital, a stabilised hyaluronic acid product, outperformed the nonstabilised product.

According to Dr Williams: "Supplementing HA in ageing skin to restore skin hydration and volume is a logical approach. The best way to introduce large amounts of unfragmented hyaluronic acid molecules into deeper layers of the skin is by injection with a needle.

The study demonstrates unequivocally that Restylane Vital improves skin physiology and has impressive efficacy in skin revitalisation of the hands. The old saying that a woman's hands always give away her real age, might be a thing of the past."

Case Study: Female hand rejuvenation patient
"This was an interesting study in which I was happy to take part, both as a lecturer in cosmetic science and as an ageing 50 something consumer. I have no fear of needles and whilst I cannot say that the injections were totally pain free, what I felt was really little more than discomfort, which soon abated.

"The final effects were remarkable - and indeed still are - I have rather thin hands with prominent veins and tendons and even now the left hand (treated with Restylane Vital) is smoother and more even in surface texture than the right. Definitely a treatment worth having."

Case Study: Male hand rejuvenation patient

"I don't like applying hand cream, as men usually don't, I suppose. However, after having had the skin revitalization treatment on the backs of my hands, my skin looked younger and also appeared much softer. In a way it was like I had an ‘injected hand cream', lasting four months.

"I hate needles, but half an hour after the numbing cream was applied, I hardly noticed anything. I am really pleased with the result and would definitely have this treatment again."