Applying sunscreen daily is necessary to prevent sun damage, especially if you want hands that age gracefully. Remember to care for your nails and cuticles, as they’re also part of your skin.

Aging is a natural process. As you get older, some of the most visible signs may occur on your skin’s surface, especially on your hands.

You may already take care of the skin on your face. But you might forget to tend to your hands.

By applying nurturing skin care to your hands, you’re helping them age gracefully while retaining their natural beauty.

Age spots, also called sun spots or liver spots, are flat blotches on your skin. They’re typically brown to black in color.

Your hands are common places for age spots to develop, as well as on your face and chest.

While these spots can certainly appear with age, the name is a bit misleading, as exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun primarily causes them, which is why you may see them appear in sun-exposed spots.

Prevention

Protect your skin from UV exposure and help prevent age spots by applying sunscreen daily.

How to choose a sunscreen

When selecting a sunscreen, here are some important things to remember:

  • Use an SPF 30 sunscreen at a minimum.
  • Select a broad-spectrum sunscreen. This type of sunscreen provides both UVA and UVB protection.
  • Apply sunscreen year-round and daily (yes, that means even on cloudy days!), especially between noon and 4 p.m., when the sun is typically brightest.

Treatment

You may be able to treat age spots at home with chemical peels and microdermabrasion. These treatments remove your skin’s top layer to reveal more youthful skin underneath.

Ask your dermatologist about the following topical agents that may also help with age spots:

Light therapy, or broadband light and intense pulsed light, may help lighten age spots by using varying frequencies, wavelengths, and intensity of light.

Dry, scaly skin is often seen with age, but it’s not necessarily inevitable. A lack of water and sleep can dry out your skin. Smoking may worsen dry skin by removing its natural moisture.

Low circulation may also lead to dryness in your skin. It may be brought on by:

  • a diet lacking in recommended amounts of certain minerals and nutrients
  • sleep deprivation
  • a lack of exercise

Cold, dry weather may also make dry hands and skin worse.

Prevention

Use unscented, mild soaps and lotions, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Some other ways to prevent dry, scaly hands include:

  • Always wear gloves outside during the winter months to prevent further moisture loss.
  • Apply hand cream after you wash your hands, bathe, and shower.
  • Prevent immersing your hands in water for a prolonged period of time whenever possible.
  • If you can’t avoid water contact altogether, minimize water-related activities, such as swimming and washing dishes, for a few days.

Treatment

Treatment for dry hands depends on the severity of dryness. A daytime moisturizer will seal in water without making your hands oily.

You can wear a thicker moisturizer at night. Look for creams with urea, hyaluronic acid, and peptides, which supply extra moisture or may help retain it. To maximize the effects, wear cotton gloves overnight.

Products containing lactic acid, an exfoliant that removes dead skin cells, may also benefit extremely dry skin.

Wrinkles develop as a result of collagen loss. These protein-based fibers are more readily available when you’re younger.

However, it’s also possible to have low collagen production in your youth.

Prevention

You can prevent collagen loss in your hands to some degree, but there’s no permanent cure.

Try to avoid smoking, if you currently smoke, as it may be responsible for collagen loss, especially if your skin also isn’t protected from the sun’s rays., reinforcing that daily sunscreen is a must!

Smoking may also cause a reduction in future collagen production. If you need help quitting, speak with your doctor about smoking cessation programs.

Treatment

Look for a retinol-based hand cream. Used daily, this vitamin A derivative may help make your skin look and feel smoother.

Other skin care ingredients to look for that may help stimulate collagen production include:

You can also have microneedling (dermarolling) on your hands performed in-office or at home to boost collagen production, though you must be very careful about sterilization if you do it from home.

If the tools used aren’t properly cleaned, you may get an infection.

Some research suggests that collagen supplements may help with graceful skin aging, including improving the skin’s:

  • firmness
  • suppleness
  • moisture
  • appearance of wrinkles

But much of this research uses collagen supplements that contain other ingredients, so it’s difficult to say if the effects are from collagen alone.

If you try collagen supplements, speak with your doctor or a dietitian first.

Your fingernails can also show signs of aging because they’re actually part of your skin. Nails are made of keratin, a fiber that naturally grows outward from your fingers and toes.

While nail fungus can turn your nails yellow and cause other changes in appearance, other cases of yellow fingernails may be related to:

  • stress
  • infection
  • underlying medical conditions
  • nail polish use

Prevention

Talk with your doctor if you have yellow fingernails. They can help determine if this is related to a fungal infection or a different medical condition.

Smoking cigarettes may also cause your nails to turn yellow.

If you wear nail polish often, let your nails go bare for a few weeks and see if their appearance has improved. The chemicals in nail polish and nail polish remover may cause nails to turn yellow, especially if used frequently.

Treatment

If a fungus causes yellow nails, you can treat it with over-the-counter products until it goes away. This process can take several weeks.

You may need to wait for your nails to grow out for the yellowness to disappear. While you endure the waiting period, make sure you take good care of your nails by:

  • using a cardboard or ceramic nail file to smooth rough edges (be sure to file in one direction only!)
  • keeping your cuticles neat and moisturized
  • avoiding the use of nail polish and nail polish remover
  • protecting your hands and nails with gloves for tasks that are hands-on

Your skin becomes naturally thinner as you age, making veins underneath the surface more visible.

Your genetics may determine whether or not you’ll have protruding veins and their degree of protrusion as you get older.

Prevention

Veins may become more noticeable due to lack of circulation. But you can’t necessarily prevent thinning skin.

You can, however, possibly reduce vein dilation with healthy lifestyle habits, such as:

Treatment

You can treat protruding veins at home with moisturizers and concealing makeup to help reduce their appearance.

Consider asking a dermatologic surgeon about more invasive treatment measures if covering them up doesn’t provide the results you prefer.

Dermal fillers are a more invasive treatment that uses needles filled with a substance that helps plump the skin and decrease the appearance of protruding veins.

Dry, brittle nails, including split nails, are caused by changes in moisture levels and often lack sufficient moisture.

Dryness in your nails can occur with age as your skin becomes less efficient at retaining moisture. It can be made worse by:

  • low humidity
  • frequent washing
  • dry heat

Soft and brittle nails, on the other hand, are mostly caused by chemical exposure and may be over-moisturized. Products with chemicals that may cause brittle nails include:

  • detergents
  • nail polish removers
  • cleaning products

Prevention

You can help prevent brittle nails by:

  • wearing cleaning gloves when using household cleaning products
  • wearing gloves with moisturizer overnight
  • keeping your nails filed and groomed to prevent splitting

Treatment

Aside from protection, it can help to moisturize your nails as you would the rest of your hands. Pay special attention to your cuticles too.

Certain oils and moisturizers are also available specifically for damaged nails.

According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, you may want to ask your doctor about biotin supplements, which may help strengthen your nails.

To maintain youthful hands, consider these daily steps:

  • Wash your hands with a mild, unscented soap only. Immediately follow up with a moisturizer. It can help to keep a bottle near your sink.
  • Use a sunscreen-based moisturizer when outside in the sun, or use a moisturizer followed by sunscreen. Choose products with at least SPF 30
  • Check your nails for any brittleness or snags. Gently file them in one direction with a cardboard or ceramic file to prevent breakage. You can also buff the surface of your nailbeds with a nail buffer.
  • Wear gloves if you’re headed outdoors on a cold, dry day.
  • If you’re cleaning, wear latex or cotton-lined gloves to protect them against any chemical exposure.
  • At night, apply a thicker ointment or cream and slip on a pair of cotton gloves before going to sleep.
  • Consider using a gentle exfoliant every day. Consider using a microdermabrasion or chemical peel once a week.
  • Use a non-acetone polish remover to prevent brittle nails.

It’s also important to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle to help you age gracefully. Consider the following tips:

  • Avoid smoking if you smoke, or ask your doctor about a smoking cessation program.
  • Drink enough water every day.
  • Try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Eat a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.

Moisturizing and protecting your hands are key to skin that ages gracefully.

However, if you experience thick scales, red rashes, or significant brown spots that won’t go away, it may be time to see a dermatologist. They’ll examine your symptoms and rule out any underlying conditions, such as eczema.

A dermatologist may also recommend medicated creams or professional treatments for damaged or aging skin, such as light therapy or dermal fillers.