Hand rejuvenation in East Paris
Aesthetic Medicine Pr Meningaud
Aging hands
The appearance of the hands can betray the best of facelifts. Together with the face, they form a couple. How many times a day do we bring them up to our chins to think, to rub an eye, to explain what we have to say or to put a lock of hair back in place? As we age, the skin thins, the thin fatty tissue disappears and the veins and tendons on the back of the hand become more and more visible. From the age of 50, pigmentation spots begin to appear.
Injection routes for hand rejuvenation using a cannula.
There are many treatments for skeletonization of the back of the hand. In my opinion, these are the three most effective.
Hand rejuvenation in East Paris
Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery in Paris Est Créteil
Hyaluronic acid injections for the hands
The simplest treatment is hyaluronic acid injections. The treatment is fairly easy to perform and virtually painless. The hyaluronic acid used should be sufficiently volumizing, and there should be at least one syringe per hand. A tiny needle hole is made in the wrist, and a mini cannula is inserted into an avascular space (i.e. one that contains no blood vessels), so that haematomas are exceptional (see photo below). Afterwards, massage for a few days to distribute the product more evenly.
Hydroxyapatite injections
The alternative is an injection of calcium hydroxyapatite. This is also a resorbable filler. It lasts longer than hyaluronic acid. It is slightly more volumizing than hyaluronic acid. Longer duration of action. It’s a malleable product that fills out the various hollows present on the back of the hands as we age. It masks the tendons, veins and bones visible beneath the skin.
Unlike hyaluronic acid, there is no antidote if you wish to remove it. It may clash with the views of some doctors because, anatomically speaking, this product is not naturally present where it is injected, unlike hyaluronic acid, which is present in the intercellular matrix. In fact, we have a great deal of hindsight, and the results are more often than not up to expectations. Like hyaluronic acid, it is a tissue inducer, i.e. it stimulates collagen production.
Professor Jean-Paul Meningaud
Hand rejuvenation in East Paris
Hand lipofilling
Alternatively, the most durable, natural and effective solution is lipofilling. This involves injecting fat taken from the patient’s own body. The fat is removed using a liposuction cannula, and then stripped of its blood and oil fractions to obtain pure fat. This fat may also be enriched. It is reinjected using the same principle as described above. The main difference is that this technique is most often performed under general anaesthetic, and in all cases requires an operating theatre. It can also be performed on an outpatient basis, i.e. in hospital for a few hours.
Age spots on the hands
Age spots or senile lentigos are a form of pigment spots. They are small brownish spots (light brown to black in colour) that appear on the backs of the hands, parts of the body frequently exposed to the sun. They appear between the ages of 40 and 50, sometimes earlier. These pigmented spots are harmless, but if their size, shape and/or colour change, or if they itch, it’s imperative to consult a dermatologist. In any case, an annual dermatological screening is a wise precaution at any age, and strongly recommended from the age of 50.
Hyperpigmentation spots are due to an increase in the activity of melanin-producing cells: melanocytes. They are located in the basal layer of the epidermis. Skin color is determined not by the number, but by the activity of these melanocytes. Depending on sun exposure, melanocyte activity increases, as does melanin production.
Age spots are linked to a cellular distribution and regulation of melanin production that alters with age. Overexposure to the sun and genetic inheritance are the two main risk factors. As sun protection is the only factor we can influence, it is imperative if age spots are to be treated. I recommend sun protection all year round. It’s an essential prerequisite for treatment, as the latter encourages inflammation which, combined with UV rays, can lead to what’s known as pigmentary rebound.
The treatment is then divided into two stages: elimination of pigments in transit in the skin, and regulation of melanin production. For elimination, liquid nitrogen and chemical peels are increasingly giving way to laser techniques (Erbium-Yag in particular, which I personally use). To regulate melanin production, there are a number of products (hydroquinone, kojic acid, glycolic acid, arbutin, vitamin C, B-resorcinol), some of which are only available on prescription. B-resorcinol is an interesting product. It is a powerful inhibitor of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin synthesis. It reduces brown spots within four weeks and causes less inflammation than other products.
It therefore causes less pigment rebound. Products can also be combined, but in all cases, the advice of a dermatologist is recommended.