Cosmetic Surgery's Next Frontier
The hands and arms have been problem areas of the body long seeking cosmetic solutions. While liposuction, face-lifts, nose reshaping, and breast augmentations have solved many of the problems of the face and body, little attention has been paid to the problem of the hands and arms. Now there is hope for women who have wished to shed those long sleeves and proudly follow the call to bare their arms and hands.
Combining modern surgical techniques can bring significant rejuvenation to the entire upper limb including the fingers and fingernails, hands, forearms and upper arm. Dr. Harvey Abrams, a leading Los Angeles dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon, frequently sees patients who want to make their hands and arms look younger. According to Dr. Abrams, "Women of all ages express strong negative feelings about their 'fat arms' and would like to wear sleeveless clothing and bathing suits with more confidence and less embarrassment. Also, I see many women who want to reduce the dark spots (often erroneously referred to as liver spots) and wrinkling of the back of the hands and forearms, often the result of aging and excessive sun exposure."
Dr. Abrams finds that his patients are at first reluctant to bring up the subject of cosmetic rejuvenation of their arms and hands feeling a combination of embarrassment and hopelessness. That feeling quickly turns into excitement when patients learn that successful treatments are available that rejuvenate and beautify the hands and arms. For over 18 years, Dr. Abrams has been a leader in the field of arm-hand rejuvenation and stresses that the methods used to correct the problems of the arm and hand complex must be matched to the individual patient.
For example, the treatment of the 25 year old woman with lumpy upper arms and good skin elasticity is very different than the 65 year old woman with heavy arms who has saggy skin and poor elasticity. Simple liposuction may be appropriate for the younger woman while a combination of liposuction and 'nip-and-tuck' surgery of the excess skin would be the appropriate approach for the older woman.
The treatment of the wrinkled and sun spotted hand and forearm also must be individualized. For women with thin, wrinkled skin with visible veins, which give an old, bony appearance to the hands, injections with fat or silicone can plump up the skin and provide a more youthful appearance to the hands. For the dark, pigmented spots on the back of the hands new laser technology and chemical peels are among the options. Home treatments with biologically active creams and lotions may add benefit to the outpatient office procedures.
Frequently, a series of treatments may be recommended in order to maximize results. Variables that must be taken into account include general health of the patient, the woman's ethnicity and skin color, and cost of the procedure.
The first step in rejuvenating the arm/hand region is a careful evaluation by a physician experienced in the comprehensive approach to upper limb rejuvenation. Next, careful delineation of the problems that might be corrected must be discussed recognizing that not all observed imperfections need correcting or are correctable.
Evaluation is also intended to identify and address other problems of the upper limb, according to Dr. Abrams, which include problems with the fingers and fingernails such as brittle and fungal nails, growths on the skin such as warts and moles, itchy and dry patches, and even skin cancers. Dr. Abrams stresses that improvement is the goal and that the slender arms and beautifully smooth, clear skin seen on an advertisement model is not achievable through surgery for most patients. However, a combination approach using modern, safe, in-office procedures can bring a more youthful, appealing look to the hands and arms to a significant number of women.
