GMA: Hand Makeovers Growing in Popularity

April 10 -- It's not enough to just get your face done to look younger these days, especially if your hands reveal your true age.

Two procedures that have been used on the face, microdermabrasion and light laser surgery, are now being used on the hands, and could soon become as popular as face lifts and tummy tucks.

Dr. Michelle Copeland, a plastic surgeon in private practice in New York who appeared on Good Morning America, says the hand-pampering procedures not only make hands healthier and better-looking, they also boost a patient's self-esteem.

Lasers Stimulate Exfoliation

If your hands are dry-looking, scaley, wrinkled, or have age or liver spots on them, perhaps because of not using sunblock, you are a good candidate for the procedures, Copeland says. Dry, cracked hands are not only unattractive — they can get infected.

Skin normally exfoliates itself, but as you get older, that process gets sluggish, and even stops. The laser stimulates the skin to exfoliate itself.

The sun induces pigmentation, and the aging process is speeded up with sun exposure, so often, those who forget to wear sunblock wind up with problem hands. The damage can't be corrected by creams alone, Copeland said. Some hydroxyacids can prevent spotting, but they don't have the effectiveness of light laser energy, which is focused directly on the pigment for removal.

One patient, Shirley Mueller, used microdermabrasion on her face, and thought her skin felt so smooth that she wanted to try it on her hands. She didn't feel they looked old, but she did feel they looked very dry.

She was always using creams to smooth her hands, and was always sensitive to how her hands needed some attention. But Mueller says she abused her hands by using them for paperwork, unpacking, and cleaning.

Skin Sanding and Lasers

For the procedure, first Copeland applied microdermabrasion, a sanding of the skin that smoothes skin off and removes irregularities. It is mild and gentle, and unlike acid peels, microdermabrasion takes the skin cells with it, so there's no flaking afterwards. She recommends four to six treatments.