How to make your hands look younger

Modified on | by Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez
A child's hand holding an adult's hand.

Cosmetic surgery is not just for your face, breast, and body. Your hands age too.

As we grow older, there is a change of fat distribution in the body. For example, the face tends to lose some volume in certain areas, and the midsection of the body tends to gain fat. Another one of the areas which loses fat is the hand.

This loss of fat in the subcutaneous tissues of the hand makes the underlying structures such as tendons and veins stand out, as well as creating hollows in other areas. Since there is also loss of skin elasticity, the skin becomes wrinkled.

Several treatments have been tried in the past, including some lasers, peels, etc. These focused on the skin surface. Fat injections, on the other hand are great because they change the entire contour of the hand. With Fat injections I remove some unwanted fat from your stomach or thighs, purify it, and carefully reinject selected fat cells into your hands. After fat injections, your hands appear more full and “fleshy”, as younger hands do. It also corrects the underlying defect, which is lack of subcutaneous tissue.The results of fat injections in the hands are dramatic and immediately appreciable.

The procedure is done under local anesthesia and is very well tolerated. The postoperative period is also painless, but the patient has to wear a splint to immobilize the hand for 1 week. There is only one drawback to the fat injection surgery: Only one hand should be done at a time to allow you to care for yourself during the recovery period. I have been very happy with the results of this procedure and recommend it highly if you want your hands to look younger.

By Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Cosmeticsurg Baltimore, Maryland Ricardo L. Rodriguez on American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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    13 thoughts on “How to make your hands look younger”

    • Cindy says:

      Hello. I am interested in getting my hands done not just for aesthetic purposes, but for pain purposes. Since my hands are so thin, they get injured easily when grabbed and I am a dancer, so this is a problem. Will fat injections help?

      • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

        Cindy: I cannot state certainly if fat injections will alleviate the pain. There may be other issues at play here. The first thing I would do is consult with a hand surgeon.

      • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

        Paula: Costs and financing are issues that Kelly can answer for you. You can contact her at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net Thanks!

    • Jamie says:

      I had fat transferred to my hands and face in St Louis . 3 weeks after the surgery, everything was gone. The fat disappeared just like the money as did my hope. What went wrong? Thank you.

      • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

        Jamie: Your surgeon probably did not process the fat in a way that leads to maximum graft retention. Read here and here about what the key elements are to getting good graft results.

    • Debbie Chapple says:

      Can you tell me if there is a doctor in the Birmingham area that does this kind of fat transplant on your hands? You wed page was very helpful! Thanks Debbie Chapple

      • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

        Debbie: Unfortunately, I don't. We do a lot of out of town patients, so if you cannot find anyone near you, we would love to be able to help you out. Good luck! Ask around to see who does micro fat grafting in your area.

    • Sandra Bails says:

      I had a hand therapy specialist after surgery on my hands, and I saw results using the xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. My scaring was very minimal, compared to others, who had similar surgeries, I had 6, on my left hand. I rubbed the cream in and kept it moist. A year later, it is hardly visible to the naked eye. I have to look hard to find the scars. Previous surgeries, did not do as well, I didn't use the cream. Had surgery this year, again. Using the scar serum. It helps for dry skin as well.

      • Dr. Ricardo L Rodriguez says:

        Sandra: The propensity to scar is individual, and even in a certain individual there are certain areas of of the body that will scar worse than others. An example of this is the area around the joints. For example, a scar oriented one way will scar very badly, but if the scar were oriented at 90 degrees (perpendicular) it would do very well. The solution to the problem scar is not this or that ointment, but figuring out the reason for the scar and taking appropriate measures. The worst scars I ever saw were burn scars on the hands, and they did best with compression.

    • Delia says:

      I'd like to know if the veins of the hands can be reduced and/or eliminated following the same treatments used for varicose veins in legs in addition to the fat injections. Thanks, Delia

      • Kelly Warner says:

        hello Cindy, Dr. Rodriguez can offer you the full range of the most advanced treatments to help your hands look younger; ranging from creams, laser, peels, injectables fillers, or your own fat with fat transfer surgery. Autologous Fat Transfer, which is your own fat, can be used to add volume to the back of your hands. Fat can be harvested from your body and injected into your hands. The cost is about $5,000, but he must consult with you to determine the exact fee. Dr. Rodriguez’s special fat transfer/grafting technique gives you the best results with smoother, fuller and permanent results. In addition to fat injections, there are other injectables which can be used to rejuvenate your hands including Sculptra, Restylane, and Juvederm. Sculptra® has the consistency of gel and will last longer in the back of hands than the other dermal fillers. Sculptra is done in a layering method with a series of injections. Usually done at four week intervals until desired volume is achieved. Depending on the amount of correction or fill desired, the cost is $200 per cc. This would likely involve several cc per session. Dr. Rodriguez would need to see your hands to determine how much Sculptra you will need. Restylane® and Juvéderm® have the consistency of gel and helps to add volume and hydration, when used in the hands results may last 3-9 months, costs $550 to $1,650. Another option for hand rejuvenation is the Fraxel Laser. The Fraxel laser treatment is a safe, non-invasive laser skin treatment that removes dark spots, smoothes the skin and stimulates your natural collagen, making your hands appear younger. Cost is $500 per treatment and two to four treatments may be necessary. Cindy, Dr. Rodriguez would be happy to consult with you and discuss the various options.