My grandmother always had the most beautiful hands. Her nails well manicured, fingers long and beautiful, and a diamond ‘G’ ring adorned her pinky. They were covered in brown spots which I would examine and admire as a little girl. I called them ‘beauty marks’ and counted them one at a time while she’d laugh assuring me that they weren’t beauty marks and, in fact, were aging spots. My little brain didn’t comprehend what that meant because, to me, they were beautiful.

Now that I’m in my 30s, and my hands are aging, I can’t help but laugh at that little bit we had. Those beauty marks were, in fact, aging spots and since I know they run in my genes, I want to be mindful of taking good care of my hands. Truth is, hands are an easy giveaway when it comes to age – especially in a world where it seems everyone’s faces are aging backward.

The reason being, the skin is thinner on our hands causing wrinkles, deep lines, visible veins, etc. So, it’s best to protect, nourish and care for them before it’s too late. Here’s a few things I’m doing for my aging hands.

1. Sun protection on your car windows

Dermatologists have reported greater sun damage on the left arm than the right which they attribute to driving and having one arm more visible to the sun. You can protect your skin while driving by getting UV protection added to your windows. You can do it with or without tints (I did it with tints) and it’s an excellent way to reduce sun exposure – especially if you spend a lot of time driving (ehhh hemmm Los Angeles locals). I would recommend having this professionally done but you can DIY by purchasing them off amazon – avail here.

2. SPF

Day to day, I apply moisturizer with SPF to my face. After I apply it, I rub the excess over the tops of my hands. And on days when I’m in the sun for an extended period of time, I use a mineral sunscreen and make sure to reapply it throughout the day.

3. Hand masks

Mmmhmmm, they exist! And they’re made by SIO. The SIO HandLift patches are made of medical grade silicone, and they hydrate, firm, tighten, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. You simply apply them to the top of your clean and dry hands and can wear them for a few hours or overnight (my preference).

4. Moisturize

This feels like an obvious one but I’d be remiss not to mention it. It’s a must! Whether you moisturize throughout the day (I keep hand lotion next to our handsoaps in the kitchen and bathrooms) or just at night – whatever it is, you have got to hydrate. My personal favorite lotion at the moment is by Grown Alchemist in either sweet almond and sage, persian rose and argan or vanilla and orange peel.

And lastly, I don’t do this but am going to start, my aunt has always told me that her mom taught her to wear gloves when doing the dishes so that your hands aren’t touching super hot water and drying them out every day. Good tip, right?