What will YOUR Hands Look Like?

You know, we spend a lot of time and effort on our facial skin, neck, body, decollete'. For me personally, my facial regimen consists of separate cleansers, toners, masks, serums and moisturizers. I have many body care products - anti-cellulite, toning products, moisturizing creams and butters; even various neck gels, creams and more. On top of this, my drawer contains specialized anti-wrinkle products - serums, gels, gel-creams, etc. Gosh, it's terrible, I know. And we've not even started on the makeup, haircare and fragrance items.

But how many of us truly give even a fraction of that attention to our hands? I didn't. Well, I didn't up until about a year ago. I turned 40 this year but I didn't ever think I really needed to; my hands were and still are relatively smooth and I wasn't very cognizant of aging or damage.

Now, I don't know if any of you darlings noticed this, but I certainly did. The DAY I turned 40, it was like bells, whistles and alarms of all kinds went off in my body, "She's 40, she's 40! Start the acceleration of aging!" And my body complied.

What I noticed almost immediately was that little brown spots started appearing on my hand. Now look at what I said there - my hand - not my hands, a single hand. My left one. Have you figured out the culprit causing these little spots yet? Yes, no? Well, do this. Picture yourself on an average day. For me it entails driving the kids to school or to activities, driving to work, travelling to meetings throughout the day sometimes for extended stretches on the highway - and there's my left hand, right up there at the top of the steering wheel during all the driving, in the spotlight of a beaming SUN! Yes, you've got it - the sun has caused these little spots to surface on my hand.

Amazing. It really drove home for me what the sun can do to skin when left unprotected. When I see photos and images, like the one of Faye Dunaway's hands above, it really makes me think prevention is the best practice for slowing the effects of aging and minimizing the effects of sun damage. So what's the resolution to this problem? For me, it's been to incorporate exfoliation and sunscreen into my hand skincare routine. Not only am I exfoliating my face and body, but I take extra measures to ensure I'm performing a good exfoliation on my hands when in the shower as well. On top of this, I'm hydrating my hands with a rich moisturizing cream daily. The last component is an absolute must-do, a healthy application of sunscreen every morning before leaving the house being sure to really rub it into the skin on top of my hands.

Here's what I'm using; I fluctuate between a few (well, you know, variety = spice of life and all), but the treasure chest is ripe with all kinds of wonderful products in this area of skincare - choose wisely! It's important to be sure you're using a broad-spectrum sunscreen product to protect against both UVA and UVB rays.

Exfoliator/Scrub:

• Shea Terra Organics Miombo Mango Shea Butter Dead Sea Salt Scrub
• Philosophy Microdelivery Peptide/Vitamin C In-Home Peel

Hydrator/Moisturizer:

• Shea Terra Organics Pink Guava Pomegranate Indigenous Body Butter
• Aveda Hand ReliefTM
• Origins Make A Difference™ Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

Sunscreen/SPF:

• Somme Institute Double Defense Day Moisture w/ SPF 30+
• Lancôme Absolue Hand Replenishing Unifying Treatment SPF 15 Sunscreen
• boscia Daily Hand Revival Therapy SPF 15