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The 10 Best Treatments for Your Hands

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Hands are one of the most visible parts of the body. Yet, hands — and more specifically, the skin on the hands — are often ignored. Here are ten superb treatments to keep your hands looking and feeling great:

Stunning hands start with great skin. Photo courtesy NailTechSecrets.com

Best Hand Cleansers

Most hand soaps contain little more than sodium lauryl sulfate or ammonium lauryl sulfate, and drying alcohols. Even worse, anti-bacterial hand soaps often contain high concentrations of drying ethyl alcohol and “literally draw water out of the skin,” according to Dr. Kenneth Beer, M.D., a West Palm Beach derm in the February 2008 In Style. However, the following cleansers are gentle for the skin. Carry them with you in an inexpensive bottle and lid from ContainerAndPackaging.com (starting at 12 cents each, plus shipping and handling!), and fill up your soap dispensers at home!

1. Best gentle cleanser: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($20.26 for two, Amazon.com).

A gentle cleanser with just 8 ingredients — three of which are hydrating (not drying) alcoholsCetaphil has been a dermatologist favorite for years. Just one warning: Cetyl alcohol, a hydrating alcohol, is in high concentration in Cetaphil and is derived from coconut oil, so it may not be appropriate for anyone with coconut allergies.

2. Best cleanser for dry skin: Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter ($20.81, Amazon.com).

This cleanser contains a high concentration of petrolatum, which, according to Dr. Beer, “acts like a barrier to prevent moisture from escaping.” It also contains lower concentrations of shea butter and niacinamide, the latter which has been found in independent studies to hydrate, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness (yellowing), and increase elasticity. Finally, Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash rounds out with antioxidant vitamin E and a less potent form of retinol, retinyl palmitate. According to dermatologist Dr. Mary Lupo in the journal Clinics in Dermatology, retinyl palmitate has about one-twentieth the potency of prescription retinoids; considering that retinyl palmitate is the least concentrated ingredient in Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash, its effects may not be apparent. Still, a great moisturizing wash for your hands!

3. Best anti-aging cleanser/best all-around cleanser: Olay Age-Defying Body Wash with VitaNiacin ($19.88 for three, Amazon.com).

This body wash is my favorite because it contains a high concentration of soybean oil, which was reported in the British Journal of Dermatology to stimulate the production of collagen, in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology to stimulate hyaluronic acid in human fibroblasts cultured in vitro, in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology to reduce the number of hair follicles (dermal papillae) on the skin, and in the journal Dermatology to lighten hyperpigmentation after daily use for two weeks. Pretty incredible! Olay Age-Defying Body Wash with VitaNiacin also contains vitamin E, retinyl palmitate, and niacinamide, all in higher concentration than in Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter.

Best Daytime Hand Creams

A good rule of thumb is to moisturize and protect your hands frequently during the day. The skin on the hands is susceptible to sun damage, and individuals are far less likely to wear sunblock or sun protective gear on their hands than on their bodies. The following are some great hand creams to carry with you through the day:

4. Best Scented for Day: Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Love Me Tender SPF 15 Hand Cream ($13.00, BathandBodyWorks.com).

Contains hydrating (not drying) alcohols, glycerin, and shea butter to moisturize. It also contains vitamins C and E. The great news is that the combination of vitamin C and vitamin E have been found to synergistically enhance the power of one another, and have been reported by Djerassi et. al. to prevent the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines (although in different forms of C and E). Vitamin C and vitamin E have also been shown in this 1996 study, amongst others, to enhance the photoprotective effects of sunscreen. The unfortunate news is that the form of vitamin C used in this product is tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which is a stable form of vitamin C that has not been shown (as of yet) to show all of the properties of L-ascorbic acid (the more unstable form of vitamin C most commonly used in skin care and studies). This 2004 study reported the results of patients’ split-face use of 10% L-ascorbic acid and 7% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate in combination, and the study yielded improvements in hyperpigmentation over vehicle. Still, more research needs to be done on tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. At any rate, Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Love Me Tender SPF 15 Hand Cream is an excellent hydrating hand cream. One personal note: There is a strong citrus scent (I don’t wear this when I am wearing lavender perfume!)

5. Best Daytime Cream For Age Spots: Olay Regenerist with UV Protection ($17.14, Amazon.com).

Although marketed as a face cream, this 2.5-floz. product is small enough to carry around in your average handbag, and pretty phenomenal ingredient-wise, with high concentrations of niacinamide to hydrate and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots, anti-aging palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 to hydrate and firm the skin a bit, vitamin C (as L-ascorbic acid!) and vitamin E to enhance sun protection, and potent antioxidant green tea. It even hydrates, with a high concentration of glycerin and a lower concentration of dimethicone. One problem is that vitamin C as L-ascorbic acid tends to break down in the presence of heat, light, and moisture, so I would recommend transferring the product into an equally small opaque container.

6. Best Daytime Cream For Fine Lines and Wrinkles: Neutrogena Visibly Younger Hand Cream SPF 20 ($6.99, Amazon.com).

Although glycolic acid and retinol typically recommended to be used separately and at night, this product combines both with a daytime SPF 15. (For sensitive skins, you may prefer the glycolic acid without the retinol in Neostrata Skin Smoothing Cream SPF 20). The product also contains vitamin C as ascorbic acid, vitamin E as tocopheryl acetate, and retinyl palmitate. One note of interest is that it has been reported in the Journal of Dermatological Surgery that vitamin C and its derivatives should be formulated at a pH under 3.5, while the pH optimal for retinol esterification (i.e., activation) has been reported in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology to be between 5.5-6.0. With that said, the pH for each ingredient in the formulation is most likely suboptimal. Still, the product contains exceptional ingredients, including glycolic acid, which smooths the skin, quickens the rate of cell turnover (which is reduced by up to 7% every ten years), decreases small wrinkles and increases the fibroblast proliferation of collagen. This is a great product, particularly for the money, and a difference in hand appearance should surely be noticed after about a month of use.

7. Best Daytime Cream for Sun Protection: NIA24 Sun Damage Prevention 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 ($55.00, NIA24.com).

Although NIA24 also has a hand cream, this product is better for day because it contains both more active ingredient (5% Pro-NiacinTM) and sun protection. The 5% Pro-NiacinTM in NIA24 Sun Damage Prevention 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 has been shown to have effects similar to that of niacinamide. NIA24 Sun Damage Prevention 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 also contains 9.4% micronized Titanium Dioxide and 3.6% Zinc Oxide. Although I would prefer it to be more zinc oxide than titanium dioxide, the product is an excellent way to get the effects of niacin with a sunscreen everyday. One personal note: For the first few applications, I experienced a bit of the “first blush, initial breakout, or dryness” talked about on the NIA24 informational brochure, but my skin became more hydrated (and clear) over time.

Best Nighttime Hand Treatments

8. Best Nighttime Cream For Dry Skin: LacHydrin Five ($11.99, Drugstore.com).

Lactic acid is a potent hydrator and in high concentration here. In fact, Dr. Jeffrey Dover, vice president of the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, tells the February InStyle, “Lactic acid draws water up from the dermis to hydrate cells at the surface.” LacHydrin Five is available in stronger form as LacHydrin, a prescription drug FDA approved to treat dry skin. With additional hydrators petrolatum, glycerin and dimethicone, layer on LacHydrin Five at night under cotton gloves and awake to softer, more hydrated skin.

9. Best Nighttime “Natural” Hand Treatment: SkinMDNatural ($25.00, SkinMDNatural.com)

SkinMDNatural contains a reported 93% natural ingredients. The ingredients in SkinMDNatural include soothing aloe, hydrating silicones, vitamin E, antibiotic/anti-inflammatory Arnica Flower Extract and Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow), wound-healing Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey) Extract and Soothing Chamomile. However, although this product is hydrating, don’t buy it just because it is “natural” – it has been reported in the journal Dermatologic Clinics that there is little or no demonstrated benefit to “natural” products. With that said, based on science alone, SkinMDNatural is still hydrating.

10. Best Nighttime Anti-Aging Treatment: MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel ($75.00 for 30-day supply, Sephora.com).

This two-step peel contains ingredients like salicyclic acid, glycolic acid, green tea, retinol, and soy extract to cleanse and refine the skin on your face (and hands). Which brings me to the point, most ingredients you use on your face, you can put on your hands (ask your dermatologist if you are unsure of a certain ingredient), provided that you use a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen on your hands regularly (some ingredients, like glycolic acid, make your skin more sensitive to the sun). In fact, it was recommended to me years ago to use the extra creams from my face on my hands, and I have heard that it has worked for others as well. With that said, happy shopping! 🙂

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