Your Hands Are Getting a Skincare Routine Now

Why Is Hand Care Having a Moment?

Much like the skinification of the scalp, it seems we are now realizing the hands are an extension of the skin on our face, and should be treated as such.

“They communicate for us, they are constantly exposed, and they show signs of aging just as quickly, if not faster,” explains DECIEM beauty executive Amy Bi. “Yet, they were almost entirely left out of the skincare conversation until now.”

Board-certified dermatologist Jessica Cheung, MD, adds, “We’ve gotten so good at taking care of our faces that the hands can sometimes give away our true age.”

Using public figures as an example, the expert notes, “The face looks smooth and youthful, but then you notice the hands that look noticeably more aged. People want to show off their manicures and rings, and they want the background of their hands to look good, too.”

We often forget that hands take a lot of abuse.

“They’re constantly exposed to UV, environmental damage, washing and sanitizing, but historically we haven’t given them nearly the same attention as the face, neck, and chest,” Bi goes on to say. “Now, we're thinking of aging more holistically and using the same tools we use on the face to keep the hands looking healthy too.”

How to Maximize Hand Care

Also, much like the face, hand care doesn’t stop with one serum or treatment. They should be cared for using a whole routine. With LOOPHA, for example, the brand offers Hand + Body Washes, which prep the skin for what’s next. 

“The wash gently cleanses while actively boosting hydration rather than stripping it away,” Bi shares. “This creates an ideal canvas, leaving the skin feeling balanced, healthy, and perfectly prepped for treatment. When you pair a daily sink-side essential with a targeted, heavy-hitting treatment like the Helium Hand Cream, you’re turning a basic daily chore into a true, science-backed ritual for your skin and setting yourself up for long term happy hands.”

For anyone looking to take things a step further, Dr. Cheung is in favor of in-office treatments.

“Hands usually benefit from a combination approach because we’re treating pigment, texture, visible vessels, and loss of collagen and fat,” she explains. “I use BBL [broad band light] for superficial brown spots and the Fotona StarWalker [laser] for stubborn, layered pigment at different depths. The Fotona Dynamis improves texture, stimulates collagen and treats visible vessels with minimal downtime. I also like the Dynamis for laser-assisted delivery of polynucleotides or exosomes, helping these regenerative ingredients penetrate more effectively to support skin repair and recovery. I also use biorevitalizers like PRX. Think of it as a chemical peel without the peeling, to plump and refresh crepey skin without downtime. For thinning and loss of structural support, hyperdilute calcium hydroxylapatite can stimulate collagen without making the hands look overfilled.”

How Aging Affects the Hands

Hands don’t age faster than the face, but the hands are subjected to more wear and tear (with less care). 

“Because of this, modern consumers are looking way past basic hand creams,” Bi says. “They want the same anti-aging benefits they get from a high-end face serum, specifically targeting concerns such as firmness and elasticity.”

For Dr. Cheung, she sees many patients who experience brown spots and uneven pigmentation, texture with crepey or thinning skin, and volume loss that makes veins and tendons more visible. 

“Just like the face, hand aging isn’t one-dimensional,” she says. “It's a combination of changes in the skin itself and loss of the underlying structural support.”

Final Thoughts

Our hands are subjected to much more wear, tear, and often environmental stressors than our face, yet we’ve neglected serious hand care for ages, with the exception of basic creams and oils. Now, with an oversaturated skincare industry, combined with greater education and demand for hand care, we’re seeing a rise in this category. 

“Hands are a great example of where regenerative aesthetics is heading,” Dr. Cheung explains. “We’re not just trying to make something look younger. We want the tissue itself to be healthier and function more youthfully. That means improving collagen, skin quality, and structure, so we’re actually restoring the tissue, not just covering up the signs of aging.”