Welcome to the 20 Minute Hand Treatment Website

There is nothing more ageing, particularly in ladies, than 'bony' or veiny hands. Mark Whiteley, Consultant Surgeon at The Whiteley Clinic (Absolute Aesthetics is a division), was asked by Grazia Magazine what treatment he thought would be suitable for Madonna who, at 52 years old, has not escaped the problem of ageing hands. He said “the go-to treatment for veiny, aged hands is the hand-lift, where the filler Restylane^® is injected to give fullness, disguising the veins”.

The '20 minute hand lift', as the treatment is called, is a series of three injections in the back of the hand, one month apart to help make the hands look plumper and younger.

Why do the backs of the hands look 'bony' or 'veiny' with age?

As we age, our skin gets thinner. This is because a substance called Hyaluronic Acid, which helps keep the skin plump looking, is lost with age (see below for the explanation about hyaluronic acid).

As the skin gets thinner the underlying structures become more obvious, such as the veins and tendons, as there is less tissue to hide them away.

The hands tend to look bony because the tendons that over lie the bones start to show through the thinning skin. As these appear to be white, people quite often mistakenly think these are bones.

Hyaluronic acid loss and why the skin thins

Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in all human skin. It makes the skin feel thick, velvety and youthful as it attracts water into the skin and holds it there.

When we are born, we have very high levels of hyaluronic acid in our skin, which makes the skin feel thick and soft. As we age the levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin decrease. Resulting in much thinner skin.

Unfortunately, we cannot turn back the clock and also there are environmental factors that actively speed up the loss of hyaluronic acid from our skin resulting in the bony and veiny look.

• Ultraviolet light destroys hyaluronic acid, so sun worshippers often find that their skin is thinner and older looking in later life. Of course the backs of the hands are particularly affected as these are more exposed to sunlight.
• Smoking also destroys hyaluronic acid. Because cigarette smoke touches the face and hands most of all when smoking, these areas are most affected through smoking-related ageing.

To find out more or book an appointment please contact us.