4/05/07

According to Simon Withey, MD, a consultant plastic surgeon at London Plastic Surgery Associates in the UK, hand rejuvenation or the โ€œhand liftโ€ is the new must-have procedure.

Hand lifts are achieved by one of two methodsโ€”fat transfer or mesotherapy. The procedure allows wrinkled, bony hands with prominent veins and deep grooves to become plump and healthy-looking.

Withey says demand for the procedure has increased 300 to 400% over the last 3 years.

โ€œHand rejuvenation is not something that is really in the public eye, but more and more people are requesting it,โ€ Withey says. โ€œA lot of them are afraid that their hands give away their age, particularly if theyโ€™ve had other work done.โ€

Hand lifts can also be accomplished  by injectables, according to Lucy Glancey, MD, of Glancey Medical Associates, which operates a string of clinics across the UK.

Hand lifts with injectable fillers need three 5 to 10 minute sessions over 6 weeks. At each session, the patient has 25 to 30 injections in the back of each hand.

โ€œQuite often, sun damage is an issue, because we usually remember to put sunblock on our faces, but not always our hands,โ€ says Glancey. โ€œOn average, every third or fourth person who comes into our clinics will inquire about hand rejuvenation now.โ€

Glancey says that the majority of  patients requesting a hand lift are female.

 โ€œIncreasingly, it is women who are noticing in photographs of themselves that their hands donโ€™t match their face,โ€ says Glancey. โ€œMen have a thicker skin thatโ€™s due to their hormones, particularly testosterone, and thicker hair that protects them.โ€

[news.independent.co.uk, April 1, 2007]