If you’re like most women, then taking care of the skin on your face is important to you. You may even have a youth-preserving regimen that involves regularly using hydrating creams, anti-aging wrinkle serums, and UV-blocking sunscreens, etc., but what about your hands?

When not cared for properly, the delicate skin on your hands can really age you, and fingernails that have been neglected just compound the problem. Interested in restoring the youth of your hands and getting them looking attractive and healthy again? Read on.

Here’s why your hands look old and how to revive them…

Wrinkles

Skin wrinkling of the backs of hands is another very common problem that occurs with age, although some women can start wrinkling sooner than others. Fortunately, there are things you can do about it.

If you’re finding that your hands are starting to resemble a crumpled-up gift bag stuffing, then you can enhance texture and kickstart collagen production using a prescription retinoid skin cream like Retin-A.

Loose Skin

Sagging, loose skin on the hands is a dead giveaway of your age. Actually, many times, it will make your hands look a lot older than they are. The solution? Tighten your loose skin with massage.

Regular massage is a simple, effective way to reduce the appearance of sagging skin. Simply get into the habit of massaging in some olive oil once or twice a week, and in time, your skin should firm up.

Dryness

Dry and scaly hand skin is unappealing. It certainly doesn’t make a woman look young and healthy. Luckily, this is a skin issue that is relatively easy to fix. And it won’t even cost you a lot of money.

For smooth and healthful-looking hands, start by sloughing off rough, dead skin with a gentle exfoliating scrub. Then, apply a glycerin and plant oil hand cream and put on cotton gloves. Leave overnight.

Pruning

Finger creasing that occurs due to water exposure usually resolves on its own pretty quickly. But, sometimes pruning happens for other reasons and doesn’t go away, making your hands look aged and worn.

If the problem is constant, then see your doctor to rule out any medical problems. However, pruning often results from dehydration or low vitamin B-12 levels, which can be resolved with diet and supplements.

Peeling

Peeling of the fingers, like pruning, can occur for different reasons, but most of the time, the cause isn’t serious. Biting cuticle skin, for example, is a common cause of unattractive skin peeling.

If you compulsively bite your cuticles and/or gnaw away at your skin, then purchase an anti-biting fingernail spray to discourage the habit. Also, be sure to regularly trim the skin on your fingers.

Bulging Veins

Prominent, bulging veins on your hands aren’t easy to get rid of completely. In fact, the only way to effectively do it is to undergo vein removal surgery, which is invasive and costly, among other things.

There’s good news, though… With a heavy-duty concealing cream, dark veins can be covered quickly, easily, and inexpensively. You can find them in stores and online (see dermablend.com) for about $30.

Hair

Hair on the back of the hands and on the fingers is not uncommon in women, and sometimes the hair gets darker and thicker as one gets older. Good thing there are many ways to remove it.

Methods of removing unwanted hand hair include waxing, plucking, threading, electrolysis, and laser treatments. Or, you can simply shave it or use a depilatory cream to get smooth, youthful hands.

Brittle Fingernails

Over time, fingernails can become brittle and prone to breaking due to chemicals, seasonal weather changes, and other factors. Genetics may also play a role. When this happens, supplements can be helpful.

To strengthen your fingernails and reduce brittleness, consider taking biotin (vitamin B-7), a water-soluble vitamin that promotes healthy nails, hair, and skin. Take 2.5 mg daily to reap the benefits.

Nail Stains

A variety of things can turn your nails yellow or brown, including dark nail polish, drugs, and fungal infections. Before attempting to fix the problem, see a doctor to determine the cause of the discoloration.

You can remove unsightly nail stains by running a lemon wedge across your nails (the nail bed will lighten due to the acids). Soaking your fingernails in denture cleaner for 20 minutes should also do the trick.

A Dated Manicure

Are you keeping up with nail shape and shade trends? They’re changing all the time, and keeping your manicure current and fresh is an easy way to make your hands look attractive and youthful.

Tips: 1) Bold polishes draw attention to your fingernails and away from any skin imperfections you would rather not highlight. 2) Sometimes, classic shades work best; there is a such a thing as too trendy.

Unkept Hands

Every day, our hands are exposed to sunlight, water, chemicals, and more, and physical activities can cause injuries. This can make hands look aged, especially if you don’t have a hand grooming routine.

To remedy this, dedicate time (a few minutes should suffice) to your hands each day. Scrub, soak, moisturize, clip, buff, and touch up, etc. Do whatever is needed to keep your hands looking kept and beautiful.

Outdated Bling

The jewelry and accessories that you wear around your wrists and fingers – rings, bangles, bracelets, etc. – can age your hands if the items are dated. Even more so if they are noticeably faded and worn.

Consider removing and updating unfashionable items with no sentimental value. Items worn for reasons other than aesthetics can be cleaned and polished to enhance the youth of your hands.