Every evening before I go to sleep, I reach under my bed and draw out a tea-tray-sized curved white machine with a large letter box-like slot on either side.
Popping a hand into a slot, I press a button on the top. Bright red lights beam on to the back of my hand and out of the machine’s sides. It looks as though I’m about to be transported to the mothership.
Clearly, I am not communing with aliens, but trying out the latest in at-home rejuvenating devices, the CurrentBody Skin LED Hand Perfector, £189, currentbody.com, to see if I can transform and smooth my age-spotted and wrinkled hands in just a month. Given the level of neglect they’ve undergone over the years, it seems unlikely.
I’m all for positive ageing, but sitting on a train back in May I found myself working on my laptop in direct sunlight. With a slight flinch, I noticed that my hands looked twice the age of my face. This is a beauty cliche — and entirely my fault.
I slather my face in the finest of serums, but my hands have never been given so much as a blob of moisturiser. Apart from rubbing on whatever SPF I use on my body when it’s warm, self-care has only really been from the neck upwards.
Handywork: Alice Smellie, pictured, used the CurrentBody Skin LED Hand Perfector for ten minutes daily
HAND V FACE AGE
‘It’s always said that hands age more quickly than the rest of the body, but this is because we neglect them,’ points out aesthetic expert Sana Khan at Avicenna Wellbeing in West London. She says her clients tend to notice wrinkling and collagen loss in the area from their 40s.
‘As well as sun exposure, which starts to reveal itself by our 40s, we frequently use harsh household chemicals, which can contribute to inflammation, and the rise in hand sanitiser use and excessive hand-washing is drying our skin out.’ Obviously, natural ageing takes its toll as well. ‘From our mid-20s collagen, which gives skin its plumpness, starts to diminish.’
I only realised the massive discrepancy between my hands and the rest of me this year — aged 50.
If I put one of my hands (exposed to the elements every day for 50 years) across my upper thigh (exposed to the elements for a week a year if it’s lucky), it could belong to a different person.
I’m not losing sleep over this, but I’m interested to see whether the Hand Perfector can make a difference and yet, I’m also unconvinced by something that looks a bit like a novelty bedside light.
LIGHT RELIEF
That said, light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy using red light has many proven clinical uses, including improving the appearance of scars, wound healing, acne treatment and boosting hair growth.
The gadget has 70 LED lights, emitting both red and near-infrared wavelengths. The red light wavelengths penetrate two millimetres and near-infrared penetrates four millimetres, to reduce inflammation in the skin and stimulate what are called fibroblast cells to boost collagen production. It is FDA-cleared and suitable for all skin types and hand sizes.
‘There’s good clinical evidence that red light is anti-inflammatory,’ says Dr Mervyn Patterson, an aesthetics expert at Woodford Medical. ‘If you dampen down inflammation, skin repairs better and you might boost collagen.
‘Some of these home kits make more sense than salon ones. Going to a salon every day obviously isn’t feasible in terms of time or cost.’
10 MINUTES A DAY
I’m still sceptical about whether red light alone can work. Surely a hand lift or daily glove-wearing is needed? But I decide to give it a go. I have Visia images taken of my left hand.
This in-depth skin analysis reveals UV spots, wrinkles and inflammation. In a month, I’ll return to see whether there’s a difference.
I’m only treating my left hand so that I can see whether there are any visible changes compared to my right hand.
Alice tried the CurrentBody Skin LED Hand Perfector, £189, currentbody.com, to see if the results would be worth it
The Visia images reveal — no real surprises — masses of UV damage, the wrinkles of a 90-year-old (my personal assessment) and quite shocking redness, or inflammation, so I can’t wait to start. However, even though it’s only for ten minutes, using the Hand Perfector every day gets a little onerous.
A family member goes into hospital and I drive to my parents in the Lake District, lugging it with me in my suitcase.
My family has always been a little baffled by my job, and I think the sight of me sitting bathed in red light every evening, saying that my little sister should do the dishes, ‘because I’m working,’ takes this perception to the next level.
That said, it’s very easy to use. I wash and dry my hand, as any topical product can block the light and reduce effectiveness, place it in the device and switch it on. You can’t feel anything. After ten minutes it switches off automatically, and it’s then recommended you apply a hand cream or serum. I use Epionce Restorative Hand Cream (£27, epionce.co.uk) and Ultrasun 50+ (£19.20, lookfantastic.com) whenever I go outside.
Dr Patterson says — and this isn’t going to come as any sort of surprise — that this last step, applying SPF, is the single most important thing you can do.
‘Eighty per cent of UV radiation can penetrate clouds. There’s no excuse for not having sunscreen to hand (excuse the pun).’
Obviously hand cream is a good idea, but he also suggests using products containing retinoids to help lighten pigmentation. ‘These induce sun sensitivity so it’s even more important to wear SPF.’
HIGH FIVE?
After just three weeks I am surprised to see a difference between my hands; my left looks smoother on the back and the wrinkles on my wrist appear less obvious. My right hand, which isn’t using the red light, looks far less dry than usual — who knew, hand cream makes a difference! — but there is a clear difference between the two.
The proof is, of course, in the Visia analysis, and in the expert’s opinion. The changes I think I can see, are by no means imagined.
‘Looking at the UV damage, you can see that pigmentation is hugely reduced after a month of the device, many areas are far lighter,’ says Sana. You can especially see a difference between the knuckles and around the cuticles.
‘SPF, LED and hand cream together will have all contributed to some degree,’ says Sana.
‘However, I wouldn’t expect to see these improvements just using a topical product. This reinforces the fact that any rejuvenation treatment should consist of suitable aftercare to maintain results.
‘I’d predict that if you continued the treatment, you’d see even more improvement.’
This result is especially interesting as I’ve spent the best part of the past two months outside in the garden. SPF50 or no, I was concerned my skin would have deteriorated. This is very impressive.
When it comes to redness, indicative of inflammation, again, there’s a dramatic difference between the before and after, and my wrinkles are clearly less deep.
Broadly speaking, wrinkle depth has gone from 214 to 175 (this is measuring wrinkles within a specific area).
Most importantly, you can see that one hand looks younger than the other — though not so much so that it appears to belong to a different person. ‘Skin texture is the most evident improvement,’ says Sana.
I am impressed. Neither of my hands is as untended as a month ago, and my left hand looks a good five years younger than my right. I don’t mind ageing in the least, but I’m thrilled to see that a little bit of (scientifically proven) effort can make a difference.
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