One day, you look down and notice that the skin on your hands is no longer as supple and smooth as it used to be in your more youthful days. You wonder where all the wrinkles come from and when did your hands start looking so old and unhealthy. While getting hand wrinkles is a common part of aging, sometimes our hands start to look weathered before their time. Having hands that look old can in turn make you feel old, so let us examine why our hands get wrinkles and what we can do to limit their appearance.

Skin damage is usually caused by the harmful UV rays of the sun and as we go about our lives with our hands exposed, the sun does its damage and leaves our hands looking spotty and wrinkled. The health of your skin is also determined by your own eating and exercise habits. Eating right and getting enough exercise is one of the surest ways to help your skin maintain its health. Lastly, but not leastly, gravity along with age helps decrease the overall elasticity of our skin. As elasticity goes away, wrinkles now have an easier time forming on certain parts of the body like the hands and around the eyes.

Our skin is not really a piece of saran wrap that keeps our guts in, it is actually the body’s largest organ comprised of living cells. The natures of this living skin along with our individual bone structure are the underlying cause of many wrinkles. Many of the wrinkles that we have are just the result of nature and are a fact of life that we need to accept. Other wrinkles, however, which are caused by exposure to the elements, and a poor diet, are preventable and there are things that we can do to help limit their appearance.

The best way to combat wrinkles is to eat right and give your skin the nutrients it need in order for it to maintain itself. Important vitamins for the skin include the Vitamins A, B, D, E, and K. It is also important to bathe often, sloughing off the dead skin cells and then using moisturizers and anti-aging hand creams in order to keep your hands healthy and youthful looking.

Some beautiful hand tips

Protect your hands from the sun
While we always thing about applying sunscreen to our face and neck, we usually neglect our hands leaving them open to exposure. Hands ar just as prone to sun damage as any other part of the body and can develop sunspots, wrinkles, skin discolorations and brown spots due to frequent exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun. Always put on sunscreen or sun block before stepping out into the sun and make sure that the sun protection factor (SPF) is a pretty high number. If you do feel the need to get a little Vitamin D from the sun, do it in the morning between the hours of 7 and 9. It is also smart to have sunscreen on you while driving.

Gloves
Most of us do not use glove when handling harsh chemical such as detergents, bleach and cleaning agents. Some of these can burn your skin and cause rashes, and other can dry your skin out. It is a good idea to don some gloves to keep the damage to a minimal.

Use a hand cream
There are thousands of different hand care products out there, so finding one that works for you should not be too difficult. A good hand cream will not be too greasy and should protect your hands for an extended period of time. Apply this cream every time you wash your hands and also every morning and night.  Also, if you need to wash your hands on a frequent basis daily, you still might end up with dry and wrinkled hands in spite of the cream.

Exfoliate
Dean skin cells are one of the main reasons your skin can be rough, so every once in a while it is good to exfoliate regularly in order to keep your skin looking smooth and supple. Use a body scrub with tiny scrubbing bead or a loofah to slough off these dead skin cells.

Use good soap
A lot of antibacterial soaps contain chemicals that can be really harsh on your skin. Find a good hand soap that kills germs, but also contains a moisturizer for your skin. It is also good to find a dish soap with the same type of properties.

Nails
Nails that are unkempt and discolored can end up making your hands look older than they really are. Take care of your nails and cuticles to keep them looking clean and healthy. If you decide to get a manicure, be sure that the salon uses tools that have been sanitized and clean.

We tend to put our hands through a lot throughout the course of a day. We expose them to water, cold weather, and the hot sun. We get them dirty and calloused as we do daily chores and then wonder why they start to look so old and wrinkled before most of our other body parts.

Aside from our face, our hands are constantly revealed to other people and their condition can say a lot about us. While it would be nice to go and get a weekly manicure from a professional and give our hands some pricey specialized treatment, most of us do not have the time or money to pamper ourselves in such a way. Thankfully there are several things that you can do right at home to keep the skin on your hands looking supple and beautiful.

The first thing that you can do, is to protect your hands from the sun just like you protect your face and neck by applying  sunscreen to them. This will help keep them from getting sunspots and wrinkles. Using a good moisturizer on a daily basis and every time the skin on your hands feels dry and tight is another good preventative measure. There are also a few natural products out there that you could bathe your hands in two to three times a week in order to keep your hands soft and moisturized.

Skin Care Recipes for your Hands

1. Soft hands with cacao cream
You will need two spoons each of cacao cream, almond oil and liquidized cucumber. Melt the cacao cream and then add the almond oil and cucumber mix well then apply to your hands with a massage. To intensify the effect add more almond oil to the mixture and then bathe your hands in it your five minutes.

2. Using olive oil
Warm up some olive oil and then rub it on your hands. Leave it on for five minutes before washing it off with warm water and soap. You can also leave it the olive oil on overnight along with some cotton glove if you wish to intensify the effect.

3. Milk and lemon juice
Add lemon juice to a warm glass of milk, mix well and then apply to your hands. Leave this mixture on fo about ten minutes before rinsing it off. Avoid this recipe if you happen to have any cuts or wounds on your hand.

4. Oat flour hand mask
Mix one spoon each of oat flour, olive oil and glycerin into a glass of water. Mix well until you achieve a consistent paste. Apply this paste over hands with a massage and leave it for25 minutes before washing it off with warm water and a natural soap. This mask will help regenerate your hands and get rid of any redness.

5. Honey potato hand mask
Mix together one potato (peeled, boiled and mashed), two spoons of milk and two spoons of honey. Apply to the hand with a massage and leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water and soap. This recipe will help nourish and rejuvenate your hands.