Fillers have been commonly used on hands and other off-label areas for a long time. This year, the FDA approved Restylane Lyft for use in the hands. Restylane Lyft is a hyaluronic-acid based dermal filler. Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is found naturally in our bodies and helps attract water to tissue and plumps up the skin, adding extra volume, which is why it is the perfect substance to use on the hands. It is most commonly used for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds and for cheek augmentation.
While Restylane Lyft most recently became FDA approved for hand rejuvenation, there are many other dermal fillers on the market that are FDA approved or safe to use on hands including Radiesse, which is a calcium based filler.
The filler is administered avoiding any joints and placed above the tendons, vessels and muscles in the dorsum of the hands. The procedure includes making multiple injections between the tendons. The results are almost instant, which makes patients very excited, and results can last up to 6 months. Hand injections are very well tolerated so there is really minimal to no healing time and it is a very quick procedure. Both men and women of any age are requesting this procedure.
There are many other treatments available for hand rejuvenation including lasers, peels, sclerotherapy, or fat injections. It just depends on your patient and what is best for them, but dermal fillers are proving to be an excellent solution for loss of volume in the hands and we believe hand rejuvenation will only continue to increase in popularity.