As people age, they tend to focus on their face and neglect an area that can easily reflect signs of aging and maturity… their hands. Our hands are in constant view as we communicate and express ourselves. Over the years, hands begin to develop age spots, loose volume, and veins become more prominent. Restoring youthful hands is all about improving texture and replacing lost volume.
Hand cosmetic concerns include thick skin, pigmentation patches, brown and red spots, unsightly veins and tendons, a “bony” appearance, and fine lines. These all become prominent in aging hands and can occur even as early as our forties. Much like our faces, our hands show signs of aging from unavoidable sun exposure, loss of fat, collagen, elasticity and heredity. Texture is the first age-related change with spots following close behind. Sun exposure contributes to the pigment changes in our skin. Luckily, Leong Facial Plastic Surgery is here for you and offers some of the best hand rejuvenation Pittsburgh has to offer.
Dr. Leong understands how important the appearance of our hands are, and recommends a combination treatment that includes dermal fillers to restore volume and IPL or CO2 Erbium Yag laser treatments to correct pigmentation and texture problems. At Leong Facial Plastic Surgery, we offer IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment with our Palomar Starlux 500, CO2 treatments with our Cortex Co2 Erbium Yag Laser, and filler treatments using Restylane®, Restylane Lyft®, Juvederm®, Belotero® or Radiesse® to reduce age and sun spots and add volume to thinning, wrinkled hands.
In the information below, we provide some answers to frequently asked questions about hand rejuvenation. If you would like to schedule a consultation to talk about this procedure, please contact Leong Facial Plastic Surgery.
Intense pulsed light for skin pigmentation
The Palomar high-powered StarLux 500 is a powerful, yet comfortable, laser and pulsed light system. The Palomar StarLux Intense Pulsed Light is able to effectively treat problems related to older skin – brown spots and age spots that appear on sun-exposed areas of the body. The intense pulsed light treatments rejuvenate the skin of the hands, providing a perfect complement to the increased volume from dermal fillers.
Is IPL treatment on the hands painful?
Numbing cream will be applied before every treatment to increase comfort. Many patients describe the pulse sensations as a “snap of a rubber band.” Every effort will be made to ensure you are comfortable and pain is minimal.
What will I observe after the IPL treatment?
It is common to be a little red and/or swollen after IPL hand rejuvenation treatment. Staying out of the sun and using sunscreen is recommended during treatment. Patients will notice brown spots darkening and eventually flaking off approximately a week or two after hand rejuvenation treatment. This is a part of the cell turnover and skin renewal process and indicates that the treatment is working.
Do I only need one IPL treatment?
This depends on the size and color of the lesions and the patient's skin type. Most patients benefit from having three hand rejuvenation procedures, one month apart. Occasionally, some patients will require additional maintenance treatments, especially those frequently outdoors without proper sunscreen coverage.
Is Co2 Erbium Yag Laser treatment painful?
Numbing cream can be applied to the hands prior to treatment to maximize comfort. Dr. Leong uses a very effective numbing cream and make sure that the cream is applied for an adequate amount of time to take full effect. With this approach, his patients find IPL and laser treatments very tolerable.
Do I only need one treatment with the Co2 Erbium Yag Laser?
Patients only need to have one treatment with the Cortex Co2 Erbium Yag Laser. This treatment typically results in a substantial rejuvenation of the skin. Certainly, some patients ask about having another treatment after their recovery. This can be done, but we request that patients wait for around a year before doing that. Like many cosmetic procedures, the longevity of results depends upon how well you take care of your skin. Sun avoidance and a well-designed skin care regimen are critical.
Paul Leong MD FACS
The Facial Specialist
Dr. Leong completed his medical degree at the Yale University School of Medicine. He then dedicated the next seven years honing his skills specifically in head, face, and neck surgery at the University of Pittsburgh—a university consistently ranked among the top five otolaryngology programs in the country. Dr. Leong continued to develop his surgical skills through a fellowship in Advanced Oncologic Surgery of the Head and Neck at the Pittsburgh Medical Center. This was followed by yet another fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Oregon Health Sciences University.
How do I know if I will need both IPL or the Erbium Yag Laser and filler treatments?
Dr. Leong will determine if both treatments will be necessary during your consultation and whether you would benefit more from the Erbium Yag Laser or intense pulsed light. Combining both IPL or the Erbium Yag Laser and filler treatments can generate outstanding results and take years off your hands.
Dermal fillers for hand rejuvenation
Dermal fillers such as Restylane®, Juvederm®, Belotero® and Restylane Lyft® are composed of hyaluronic acid and work to encourage collagen growth, reduce wrinkles and lines and plump up skin. Results can be seen immediately, and typically last anywhere from 5-6 months. Radiesse® is made up of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHa) and works in a similar fashion.
Are filler injections painful?
Dr. Leong performs all injections in our Pittsburgh, Sewickley, Wexford and Greensburg offices and will ensure that your procedure is quick and that pain is minimal. Treatment only takes approximately 15-45 minutes, but lasts for months.
Contact Leong Plastic Surgery
To learn more about our hand rejuvenation in Pittsburgh, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Paul Leong to talk more about this treatment, please contact Leong Facial Plastic Surgery today.