How to Reduce the Signs of Aging on Your Hands

How to Reduce the Signs of Aging on Your Hands

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Texas Vein & Wellness Institute

People often talk about how the face is the first place where others notice the signs of aging, but often aging is most apparent on the hands. The good news is that there is something you can do about it. Here’s what you need to know about the treatments to reduce the signs of aging on your hands. 

• As we age, veins on the backs of the hands bulge and protrude due to thinning skin and loss of elasticity in the skin and the vein wall.
• Declining collagen production combined with natural aging and loss of subcutaneous fat in the area are all to blame. Our skin thins and collagen production declines each year when we reach our 20s.
• When blood pressure or body temperature rises, the blood flow increases and swells the veins, causing them to bulge on the backs of hands.
• Weightlifters will often have raised veins on their hands and lower arms due to the hard muscles they’ve developed under them.
• While varicose veins are most common on the legs, they can show up on the hands and arms. They may be a sign of a more serious health issue.
• Genetics may be to blame if your parents also had bulging veins on their hands.
• Sclerotherapy is the most common method for removing unsightly hand veins. This involves injecting a sclerosant of hypertonic saline or hypertonic dextrose into the bulging vein to irritate the vein walls, causing them to collapse. The vein is then closed off and blood is redirected to healthier nearby veins.
• Larger veins may need laser ablation or a minimally invasive surgical technique called microphlebectomy for removal.
• After your hands are treated, you will wear compression gloves for 12 hours to help with swelling and healing.
• You can develop new veins after any of these procedures, but patients usually see dramatic improvements in the appearance of their hands as these are permanent treatments.