Why Hands Age Faster in an Australian Summer (and the Routine That Helps)

Most women we speak to have a careful routine for their face. Serum, moisturiser, SPF every morning, reapplied through the day. Their hands get whatever is left on their fingers. Which is why, for so many of us, the hands are the first place that gives our age away.

Summer makes that gap wider. Here is why, and what actually helps.

Why hands show age early

• The skin is thin. The skin on the back of the hand is among the thinnest on the body, with relatively little fat beneath it. As that cushioning reduces with age, veins and tendons become more visible.
• They are always in the sun. Hands are exposed almost every time we are outdoors, and rarely protected. Over the years that sun exposure shows as brown spots, uneven tone, and skin that looks thinner and creases more easily.
• They are washed constantly. Every wash takes some of the skin's natural oils with it. Hands are washed far more often than any other part of the body, and rarely moisturised as often.

What an Australian summer adds

• UV. Australia's summer UV levels regularly reach extreme, and the backs of the hands catch it on every walk, every school run and every lunch outdoors.
• Driving. Hands rest on the steering wheel in full sun. Car side windows typically filter less UVA than the windscreen, so a long drive is a long exposure.
• Salt water and chlorine. Both are drying, and summer means more of both.
• More washing. Holidays, cooking for crowds, gardening, more time in public places: summer is when hands are washed most.
• Skipped cream. In the heat, a hand cream can feel like too much, so it is the first step to go.

The summer hand routine

1. SPF on the backs of your hands, every morning

Whatever SPF you use on your face works on the backs of your hands too. Apply it last, after your face, and pay attention to the knuckles and the skin between the thumb and forefinger. The harder part is reapplying after you wash your hands. A clear mist such as the Outside Beauty SPF 50+ Face Mist makes that easier: there is no white cast and nothing to rub in. Our guide to SPF for mature skin covers the options in more detail.

2. A hand cream within reach, all day

The single biggest improvement most people can make is not a better cream, but a cream in the right place: the desk, the car, the beach bag, beside the kitchen sink. Huxter's 35ml hanging hand creams are made with natural oils, shea butter and cocoa butter and are small enough to live anywhere. The Bergamot & Cassis is the freshest of the three scents, and the one we would choose for summer.

3. A treatment step

If you use a serum on your face, consider one for your hands. The PAUME Renewing Hand Serum is a treatment designed specifically for the hands, with niacinamide, azelaic acid and vitamin C, ingredients familiar from facial skincare, to help visibly fade the look of brown spots and fine lines. Apply it to clean hands in the morning under SPF, or in the evening before anything richer.

If you would like the whole routine in one go, PAUME's Hand Treatment Trio brings the Renewing Hand Serum together with the Overnight Hand & Foot Hydration Mask and the All-in-One Cuticle & Nail Cream, all full size. It is the set we point to when someone asks what a proper hand routine looks like.

4. Seal it in overnight

Night is when hand care does most of its work, because nothing is going to wash it off for eight hours. Finish with something richer than your daytime cream: the Huxter Hand Balm Bon Bon is almond oil, coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter with a plant extract that helps hands look smoother. On very dry nights, an overnight mask under cotton gloves is the most effective option; PAUME's Hand & Foot Recovery Set includes the mask, organic cotton gloves and socks, so heels are covered too. We explain why the gloves matter in the best overnight treatment for very dry hands and feet.

5. Don't forget the cuticles

Salt water, chlorine and washing dry out the cuticles quickly, and ragged cuticles make even well-cared-for hands look neglected. A few seconds of cuticle oil each night, massaged in, is enough. More on that in does cuticle oil actually work?

6. After the beach or the pool

Rinse your hands in fresh water, pat them dry, and apply cream straight away while the skin is still very slightly damp. It takes thirty seconds and makes a noticeable difference by the end of the holidays.

When to have it checked

Brown spots on the backs of the hands are very common after years of Australian sun, and most are harmless. But any spot that is new, changing, bleeding or simply different from the others deserves a proper look. Book a skin check with your GP or a dermatologist, and include your hands.

The short version

SPF on the backs of your hands every morning. A cream within reach all day. A treatment, then something rich at night. Cuticle oil before bed. Your hands are exposed to everything your face is, and usually more; they simply need to be included in the routine.

Most of the hand care in this guide is also in our Christmas edit, because it doubles as a very good gift.