Hand Rejuvenation by Thickening Skin with Coleman Fat Grafting
Posted January 29, 2013 in Coleman Technique for Fat Grafting, Fat Grafting, Hand and Forearm Rejuvenation, Minimally Invasive and Non-Invasive Fat Removal
After our last post, readers have been asking how Coleman fat grafting works to rejuvenate aging skin of the back of the hand. The skin of youthful hands is smooth and even-toned. Tendons are barely noticeable and veins may be visible, but are not as prominent as veins seen in older hands.
As the skin of the hand ages, it loses collagen and elasticity causing the skin to thin…often dramatically. Without the thickness and elasticity of youthful skin, the colors and shapes of what lie beneath in the hand become obvious. White, linear tendons and large, ropey blue veins protrude through the thinning skin.
The hands above are of the same person when she was 20 years old (left) and now when she is 54 years old (right). The younger hand is not fuller, but has thicker skin, which hides the underlying structures. The key to hand rejuvenation is thickening of the skin with Coleman fat grafting.
A youthful hand is not necessarily plump. Thickening of the skin with Coleman fat grafting provides a better result than just using fillers for hand rejuvenation. After grafting a thin layer of a person’s own fat beneath aging skin of the back of the hand, collagen gradually increases over the next months. Under the thickened skin, veins and tendons become less visible and protuberant. Over time, the stem cells in fat help to repair the surface appearance and texture of the skin as well.
Some older hands have a dramatically thin and unhealthy appearance from loss of fat and muscles making the joints look larger and arthritic, even if they are not. In this situation, restoration of volume becomes paramount in creating a normal, healthy appearing proportion of the hand. A youthful proportion is essential for hand rejuvenation.
Artificial fillers such as Radiesse and hyaluronic acids can also be used to simulate hand rejuvenation. They create a fullness, which mimics the filling that one attains with Coleman fat grafting. However, the effect is not long lasting and does not result in actual thickening of the skin. Fat grafting, however, is not only long-lasting but also appears to create progressive improvement of the skin for years afterwards.
Back of hands before (above) and one year after Coleman fat grafting. Note the subtle filling combined with the skin thickening obscures the tendons and veins as well as lessening the wrinkling up well onto the fingers.
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For more information for hand Rejuvenation, please refer to the following: