Six Tips to Keep Your Hands Youthful

Before COVID, I was taking Silver Fit classes in our local gym. The instructors were teaching us many effective strength and balance exercises, which I need. And of course, I was grateful, but I was surprised that they did not offer a single exercise for hands.

I looked around our group and see all women, like me, over 60. Each of them was at a different level of fitness, but all of them were working hard to improve. Some of them had quite attractive physiques one exception: hands. They looked gnarled, inflexible, rough, bony, and veiny. Hands betray age even more than faces do!

How Our Hands Age

Let’s start from the inside, with bones. The bones of the hand assure plasticity and smooth movement. As we age, our range of motion becomes restricted and we lose flexibility. The bones no longer move well. Even when we’re engaged in sports or stretching, we’re not really exercising our hands – that is a mistake.

It is muscle that create soft and smooth hands. And as we age, our muscle tissue decreases by as much as half! As a result, our hands become thin… and our skin becomes almost transparent. This worsens if we don’t work specifically on our hand muscles during our regular exercise or massage sessions.

Fat matters, too. Fat tissues give our hands their smooth contours. Subdermal fat reacts quickly to weight loss and blood flow fluctuations. Veins are normally surrounded by fat and muscle tissues. Think about it – when you drop some weight and lose some muscle, what do you see? Veins.

Another cause of skin trouble around the hands is the use of aggressive laundry soaps, detergents, bleaches, and other harsh cleaning compounds – they lead to dehydration. Cold exposure is also harmful to our skin, causing it to be dry. UV rays cause photo-aging, which leads to hyperpigmentation.

But the list of negative effects on our hands doesn’t end here - there is one more very important factor. And it pertains to people who are just beginning their path of cleansing and diet upgrade.

One of my readers sent me this email some time ago, but it’s worth mentioning for this newsletter:

What should I do about dry skin on the backs of my hands? I am doing a juice fast right now—fruit and veggie juices. Actually, a bunch of us are doing a Facebook support group, and everyone’s having this problem. Any suggestions, Tonya? When I met you, I noted you have such beautiful skin, and I figured if anyone would know what to do, it would be you.

Thanks for the compliment! Now, on to your question…
Here’s an article that explains why your group is experiencing this problem: Dry Skin Causes. 

These are likely your causes, but what about the solutions? Happily, they are within your control. Read on! 
 

2. Six Tips to Keep Your Hands Youthful

Here’s a collection of tips to help you preserve and restore the youth in your hands:

Tip #1
I stand firmly on this conviction: Dry skin (certain illnesses aside) is neglected skin, period. You must care for your hands just as you do for your face. Dry brush your hands daily. This simple procedure will help restore the tissues of your hands and boost your blood flow. As a result, even visible veins will become less noticeable.

But how hard and for how long should you brush? As always, the answer is, “It depends.” Brush the backs of your hands less briskly, and for a shorter time than you brush your feet. And brush your face less vigorously than your hands.

If you’ve been shy about trying my facial brushing technique, here’s a great chance to test it out. Try dry brushing on the back of your hands before you try it on your face.

Tip #2
Stretch your fingers. Flexibility and plasticity are just as important here as in the larger limbs. Without flexible fingers, your hands will never look youthful. I demonstrate a few good stretches in my video below.

Tip #3
Also, try some finger fitness! It’s really helpful for the joints of your hands, as it restores the movement and plasticity of the joints. You can find lots of finger fitness videos on the internet - pick any method you like. Just a few minutes a day will bring definite results. Bonus: finger fitness is also helpful for improving brain function.

Tip #4
What negatively impacts the skin of our hands? The big one is poor blood flow. Good blood flow assures that the quality of your hands’ muscle and fat tissues continues.

Use the Strigil on your hands. Apply our Night Cream on your hands and massage with the Strigil until you see a slight redness in your skin. The tool’s mechanical pressure activates the skin’s blood flow and strengthens the skin. The skin warms up, and improved blood flow boosts the tissue’s nutritional supply. As a result, skin fibrosis becomes less visible. Try it on one hand first, then compare it with the other after the massage. You’ll see the difference right away.

Tip # 5
Choose gentle household cleaning products and use protective gloves. Minimize your hand contact with water during cleaning tasks. Good quality domestic appliances are more than just conveniences -- they can help your hands stay youthful longer.

Tip #6
After you’ve done the hand beauty routine I show in my video, lavish your hands with an oil-based cream. Then cover them in cotton gloves for a good length of time (such as overnight). This allows plenty of time for the oils in the cream to penetrate your skin. It will also help lock in the moisture already present in your tissues. Do this as often as you can. This will help transform your hands from dry, rough, and reddened to smooth and more youthful.
 

My Daily Hand Care Routine

At age 63 I don’t have any dark spots, and I’m determined not to ever get them even as I grow older chronologically. Here’s how I take care of my hands -- I do it every day. Watch my short video:

I start by brushing the back of my hands. I'm using our body brush. Its bristles are made from Tampico, produced in Mexico from the stalk of the Agave plant. It gives just the right tension to exfoliate your hands and body.

Then apply some oil-based cream. In the video I’m applying night cream of my own creation, which is a combination of several beneficial oils.

Now, I give my hands a good massage and a nice stretch. Then I use our Strigil. The tool’s mechanical pressure activates the skin’s blood flow and strengthens the skin. The skin warms up and the improved blood flow boosts the tissue’s nutritional supply. Try this routine for a month. You’ll see a marked difference.