Image courtesy of Cleveland Clinic, 2020

4 min read

• What are the signs of aging hands?
• What role does collagen play in our body?
• What are the causes of collagen loss in the skin?
• How to slow down aging of the hands?
• Introduction to young looking hands

Aging Hands

Most people have a skincare routine for their face that ensures that their skin is taken care of, protected from outside factors and, consequently aging of the skin is slowed down. However, with this being said we often forget the body part that reveals our true age: our hands. Our hands are directly exposed to different factors like UV rays of the sun, soap and water on a daily basis, neglecting to take care of this body part can result in premature aging of the skin. Premature aging of the skin is when the signs of aging occur earlier than is standard, this can be caused by environmental or lifestyle factors that negatively affect the collagen in the body. Signs of premature skin aging of the hands include: wrinkly hands, age spots, dryness and loss of skin tone.

Collagen

Collagen has an important role in our body as it makes sure that the skin keeps it’s elasticity and hydration. Moreover, collagen is the most abundant protein in our body and accounts for approximately 30% of the body’s protein. It is made out of three amino acids; glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, these amino acids group together to form protein fibrils in a triple helix structure. In our body, collagen gives body tissues structure, rigidity, strength and texture. The below mentioned are other roles collagen plays in the body.

• Giving the skin strength, elasticity and structure
• Helping the blood to clot
• Protection of organs from toxins
• Helping skin cells renewal and repair themselves

Causes of Collagen Loss in the Skin

As we age our body produces less collagen and existing collagen breaks down at a faster rate. This typically starts in our mid 20s and after menopause women experience a significant reduction in collagen production. This is inevitable because of the natural process of aging however, there are factors that can speed up the process and cause signs of premature aging.
UV exposure can cause collagen to break down at a higher rate than normal aging skin. The UV lights cause oxidative stress in skin cells which leads to inflammation and therefore, degradation of collagen. This contributes to premature changes such as, age spots.
Stress can cause an increase in hormones like cortisol, which can decrease the production of collagen. This is because in states of stress, the body’s resources are used to combat stress and the inflammation it produces, instead of producing collagen.
Diets that include a lot of carbohydrates, sugar and processed meats can promote inflammation throughout the body which can be tough on collagen. It can cause fragmentation of collagen, weakening the skin foundation and promoting premature aging of the skin.
Smoking can decrease the amount of oxygen delivered to the tissues. Consequently, tissues can not regenerate and are more likely to die, which can cause premature wrinkles.

Aging Hands Treatment

Thus, as both environmental and lifestyle factors cause premature aging of the skin, these can be changed to slow down aging of the skin or stop existing signs of premature aging from developing further. Below are some actions that you can take to slow down premature aging.
Firstly, using a hand cream with a sun protection factor all year round helps to protect your hands from the UV rays of the sun. These break down collagen and elastin, which you need to keep your skin firm and plump. Besides, using a hand cream with SPF before leaving the house can help prevent your skin from developing age spots and other forms of hyper pigmentation. By Robins Signature Hand Cream SPF 15 is designed to protect the hands from the UV rays of the sun and with one of the key ingredients being ginger root extract, the hand cream helps slow down the degradation of collagen by reducing harmful free radicals.
Even though collagen can not be absorbed by the body in its whole form, there are many foods that provide the raw ingredients that support collagen production. By eating a healthy diet with foods that contain amino acids, proline and glycine you can provide support for the production of collagen in your body. This typically occurs in high-protein foods like, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and legumes. Moreover, collagen production in the body also requires nutrients like vitamin C, zinc and copper.
Lastly, direct exposure of the hands to air and pollution can contribute to aging of the skin. You can protect your skin from pollution with a moisturizing hand cream that contains antioxidants like vitamin C and E. Moreover, wearing gloves when the weather is colder and windy helps retain moisture in the skin and prevents the hands from drying out and showing fine lines and wrinkles.

Introduction to Young Looking Hands

Even though aging of the skin on our hands is inevitable, often times our hands are looking older than they are supposed to be due to premature aging. This can be prevented with some adjustments to factors that influence collagen production. Moreover, as the sun is the first cause of premature ageing of the skin protecting your hands from the UV rays of the sun with a hand cream with SPF can already make a big difference. You can find our hand cream with SPF here: Signature Hand Cream SPF 15

Resources
ClevelandClinic, 2022. Collagen
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23089-collagen
HarvardSchoolofPublicHealth, 2022. Collagen
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/collagen/
ClevelandClinic, 2020. Aging hands
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-your-hands-aging-you/