Sclerotherapy Gives Signs of Aging on the Hand...( Dermatologists find new application f...),Health

Dermatologists find new application for technique used to treat spider veins

SAN FRANCISCO, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent advances in skin rejuvenation can take years off one's appearance by softening or erasing fine lines and wrinkles, plumping sunken cheeks and erasing sun spots and uneven pigmentation. While facial aging has been successfully addressed for years, addressing similar issues on the hands has been more challenging. Now, dermatologists are successfully using sclerotherapy - a longstanding treatment for spider veins - to improve the appearance of aging hands.

Speaking today at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), dermatologist Mary P. Lupo, MD, FAAD, clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, shared her professional experience using sclerotherapy to treat prominent veins common in aging hands, including the best candidates for the procedure and other minimally invasive techniques used to further improve signs of aging.

While the loss of dermal and subcutaneous volume that occurs with aging results in sagging of the face, it results in more pronounced blood vessels and tendons on the hands. This creates a skeletal, aged appearance that is predominantly seen in Caucasian women over age 50 due to both the natural effects of aging and the lifelong effects of ultraviolet light. Signs of aging on the hands occur less frequently in people with skin of color due to the inherent protective nature of melanin in their skin.

"As dermatologists continue to treat facial aging with much success, patients are increasingly aware of other visible areas of the body - particularly the hands, neck and the upper part of a woman's chest below the neck - that need to be addressed to avoid looking years older than their face," said Dr. Lupo. "Hands reveal one's age second only in frequency to the face
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