People always say that a dead giveaway of someone’s age is the look of their hands. Your face may scream early 20’s with not a fine line in sight, but your hands—covered in wrinkles and age spots—have over 50 written all over them. How so? Well, picture all that we do with our hands on a daily basis: we make gestures with them, we drive with them, we eat with them, we type with them, and we apply skin care products with them (our personal favorite). It’s no surprise that the thin, delicate skin on our hands—which, for the record, is up there with the neck and chest as one of the most neglected areas of skin—shows visible signs of aging. They’re constantly in motion! Pair those repeated movements with additional factors such as prolonged and unprotected sun exposure, neglect in a skin care routine, and a natural decline in collagen production as we age, and you basically can confirm that telling a person’s age by peeking at their hands is not just an old wives’ tale making its rounds.Long story short, our paws require a little extra TLC—specifically some SPF lovin’—every day, just like the rest of our body, to help shield them from the harmful effects of environmental aggressors—read: UVA/UVB rays and pollution—that can accelerate the visible signs of aging on our skin. The proof is in the pudding. Besides, for all our hands do for us, don’t you think it’s only fair to return the favor?LANCÔME ABSOLUE HAND It’s (hopefully!) safe to assume that you already own a sunscreen formulated for your skin type. You can, of course, just extend that product onto your hands, but there’s no harm in purchasing a hand cream formulated with SPF-—like this SPF 15 hand treatment by Lancôme—and using it instead. The formula is rich with soy and sea algae, which helps improve the appearance of skin elasticity and firmness, as well as wild yam to intensely hydrate the skin. Instantly, hands will feel softer, suppler, and more nourished with an even-toned and luminous look.Lancôme Absolue Hand, $50GARNIER SKIN RENEW DARK SPOT HANDS Pamper your paws with this luxe hand treatment boasting broad-spectrum SPF 30 and infused with vitamin C to improve the appearance of the skin on our hands. Hands will feel immediately smoother, more even and moisturized for up 24 hours.Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Hands, $7.99Don’t forget to continuously reapply sunscreen over the course of the day (at least every two hours, if not sooner) to better avoid potential skin damage.
