Pretty Hands.

What can be done about so-called age spots on the hands?  About wrinkles and dryness?  

I've had a lot of success with TCA peels to eliminate spots on my hands, but I was disappointed that the wrinkles were not gone.  Putting lotion on my hands made them look and feel better and massage did a nice job too.  But I think these are temporary fixes.  

I started dry brushing my hands a couple of months ago.  I had read that others dry brush cellulite on their arms and legs because the cellulite is caused by inadequate lymph drainage which can be improved by dry rubbing the arms and legs.  This can be used on the body also to encourage fat on the hips and rear to smooth out.  

So I decided to dry rub my arms to improve the lymph drainage and get rib of cellulite.  While I was at it I also dry rubbed my hands.  

I have been pleasantly surprised at the results. I expected my hands to look better for a few hours like they would with a massage.  However, the improvements have been more than temporary.  I noticed that the texture of the skin on both my hands and arms was changing.  The first thing I noticed was that the scar on my right wrist had almost gone.  The mottled look on my left forearm, probably from the increased sun exposure on that side from driving, had begun to also look at lot better.  But I was especially surprised to see that the age spots on my hands  were nearly completely gone, and the skin was much less wrinkled.  I would say it's taken several years off my hands so far.  

How did I do it?  I bought a brush from Amazon just like the one above, and rubbed up and down my hands, starting at the wrist and brushing up to the end of my fingers.  I brushed the area near my thumb about 30 strokes up and down, then moved to the middle of my hand, and then to the outside edge of my hand.  Then I did the same thing going crossways over my hand, about 30 strokes per area.  After my hands were done I brushed my arms the same way, both the upper and lower arms.  Then I put vitamin E lotion on my hands and arms.  They felt heavenly and looked pink and beautiful. 

It took a few weeks to notice a lasting difference.  

Another thing I have done that improved the skin on my hands and arms was something I happened to notice when I was trying to remove a mole from my arm.  I had heard that if one puts petroleum jelly on a mole, and then covers it with duck tape for two weeks, the mole will fall off.  I decided to try this on a mole on my arm and another one on my hand.  The moles did come off, but it took me about a month instead of two weeks.  The places where the moles were is completely healed as if there were never a mole there.  In addition, I was surprised to see that the skin in the areas that was covered by the tape had become much more beautiful and the wrinkles were gone.  This has been an improvement that has continued to be noticeable.  I had put the tape on my left hand and arm.  The areas that were covered by the tape for a month are healthier looking than the same areas on my right hand, even months later.  Why?  I suppose the skin wrinkles, and the tape holds the wrinkles down and it reattaches more firmly where it belongs.  I really don't know.  

I have also used dry rubbing on my face.  It started using a natural bristle toothbrush to brush my eyelashes and eyebrows after putting castor oil on them, hoping to encourage more growth.  Then I started brushing my whole eye area, about 30 times per area.  Then I also started brushing my nose.  I think my eyelashes and eyebrows look some better, but I was more impressed with the rest of the area around my eyes and my nose.  Around my eyes has small whitish growths that truly annoy me.  These became smaller and smaller, and I realized I was winning the battle with them.  My nose has sun damage called melasma that is very vexing to treat.  It responded to TCA peels, but still continued to need more work.  I think the brushing on my nose has done as much as the peels did to remove the melasma.  Naturally I was so encouraged with all this that I began to brush my whole face, and have been really thrilled with the brightening of my face and the way my skin looks so dewy.  

It may seem like I go to a lot of trouble, and I suppose I do.  I usually do all this in the morning while I drink coffee and wake up. I've had the experience that people that have known me for most of my life but haven't seen me for a long time have wondered how it was that my complexion was better than theirs, even though they were a few years younger.  One of these dear souls was even angry about it, feeling apparently that I am vain.  

May I just say that I never claimed not to be vain.  But there is a lot more to healthy skin than just beauty.  For example, by using TCA peels and dry brushing, one can get rid of precancerous growths before any damage is done.   One can increase the rate of cellular turnover to the levels of youth and prevent further damage to the skin from aging.  

Oh, one more thing.  I use Retin A on my face, neck, hands and forearms.  When one uses 0.1% Retin A daily on the skin, studies have shown that it actually stops skin aging.  

Skin damage can be reversed and future damage prevented.  It sometimes takes patience.