The reason is simple: “The skin of the hands, which is constantly in use and is exposed to ultraviolet radiation, ages five times faster than the skin on the rest of the body,” according to Professor Antonino Di Pietro, a dermatologist and the president of ISPLAD, an international Italian Plastic-Cosmetic Dermatology and Oncology organisation.







This is why it is essential to have a daily beauty routine involving three steps: protection, hydration and massage. According to Di Pietro, “massage reactivates the circulation, ensures that the skin is nourished and oxygenated, and also creates a sense of general wellbeing.”


How should you do it?



“Start with the little finger on your right hand, gently pulling and massaging it. Do the same with the other fingers, and then move on the left hand. Then use to fingertips to massage the backs of your hands as far down as the wrist. With the thumb and index finger of the right hand apply pressure along the fingers of the left – and vice versa. Massage the thumbs by smoothing the skin and pulling on them lightly.”


To remove the signs of ageing – dark marks on the back of the hands and a generally wrinkled appearance – you need cosmetic medicine.


Marcello Ruspi, specialist in vascular surgery and chirurgia vascolare and Medical Director of the Poliambulatorio San Pietro in Milan explains: “To get rid of the marks completely, the use of a pulsed light laser is recommended – this eliminates the excess melanin.”


What do you do if you want hands like a girl? “The skin plumping treatment that restores youthfulness and fullness to the hands is called Injector Hydro Balance, says Magda Belmontesi, a dermatologist, cosmetic doctor and scientific director of theMediSpa Duomo in Milan. It injects stabilised hyaluronic acid into the backs of the hands with a device that allows you to introduce the same micro-droplet of hyaluronic acid up to 200 times through a very fine needle. This takes place over three sittings, which are alternated with skin peel treatments using trichloracetic and lactic acids, stimulating epidermal turnover and providing an immediate smoothing effect.”

(Homepage photo by Greg Lotus, da Beauty IN Vogue, novembre 2009)



Chiara Bettelli