Hand rejuvenation at Cannelle Skin Clinic in Oxford treats the three changes that age hands fastest: sun spots, prominent veins and crepey skin. Lumecca IPL, volume restoration and Profhilo are used individually or together by Dr Mattia Parducci.
You have been putting sunscreen on your face for twenty years. Your hands have been on the steering wheel the whole time, catching the same light with none of the protection. That single gap explains most of what you are looking at, and it is the easiest part of it to change.
Three things change, usually together. Pigment accumulates as sun spots and mottled tone, following the same mechanism as on the face but reaching a visible stage sooner. Volume is lost from the thin layer of fat sitting between the tendons, which is what makes veins and tendons stand out in relief. And the skin itself thins and loses collagen, so it becomes crepey, bruises more easily and no longer sits smoothly over the structure beneath.
The skin on the back of the hand is among the thinnest on the body, so all three arrive earlier and show more clearly than they would elsewhere. That is also why hands respond well to treatment: the same interventions that work on a face work here, and the results are often more obvious because the starting point is more neglected.
It is worth being clear that this is a cosmetic concern rather than a medical one. If your hands are painful, stiff or swollen, that is a matter for your GP rather than for us.
Most people have all three of these to some degree, but usually one bothers them more than the others, and that decides where we start.
Pigment
Brown marks that arrived quietly and multiplied. Hands take more cumulative ultraviolet exposure than almost anywhere and get protected least. These clear well, and are often the single change that makes the biggest difference.
Lost volume
The thin fat layer between the tendons has depleted, so everything beneath the skin is now in relief. Restoring a small amount of volume across the back of the hand softens the whole structure without making hands look padded.
Skin quality
Skin that crinkles when you pinch it and no longer springs back, often bruising more easily than it used to. This is collagen loss in very thin skin, and it responds to treatments that rebuild the skin rather than fill beneath it.
Volume restoration across the back of the hand, and a skin booster result at one syringe per hand. Individual results vary with how much volume has been lost and with skin quality. Dr Mattia will tell you what is realistic for yours.
Hand volume restoration
Skin boosters, one per hand
Pigment, volume and skin quality are three separate problems and most people have all three. They are usually treated in that order, because clearing the spots alone changes a great deal.
| Compare | Hand rejuvenationFor volume and structure | Lumecca IPLFor sun spots | ProfhiloFor crepey skin |
|---|---|---|---|
 | |  | |
| Best for | Hand rejuvenation Prominent veins and tendons from lost volume | Lumecca IPL Brown sun spots and mottled tone | Profhilo Thin, crepey skin lacking bounce |
| Typical course | Hand rejuvenation One appointment, reviewed at four weeks | Lumecca IPL Two to three sessions, spaced monthly | Profhilo Two sessions, four weeks apart |
| Downtime | Hand rejuvenation Swelling for a few days | Lumecca IPL Spots darken then flake over one to two weeks | Profhilo Small bumps settling within hours |
| Skin tones | Hand rejuvenation All skin tones | Lumecca IPL Fair and medium tones, assessed first | Profhilo All skin tones |
| Price from | Hand rejuvenation £595 | Lumecca IPL £290 | Profhilo £350 |
| See hand rejuvenation | See Lumecca IPL | See Profhilo |
All the injectable work is performed by Dr Mattia Parducci. PicoSure is an alternative to IPL where skin tone makes light treatment less suitable, and nail and hand care sits alongside all of it.
Volume restoration, doctor led
A small amount of product placed across the back of the hand to restore the cushion that has depleted between the tendons. Placed conservatively, because the aim is hands that look rested rather than hands that look filled.
Intense pulsed light
Light absorbed by the pigment in sun spots, which darken over a few days and flake away. Hands respond as well as faces do, and clearing the spots is usually the change people notice first in photographs.
Bio remodelling, doctor led
Slow release hyaluronic acid spread through the skin to hydrate and firm it. On hands it improves the papery quality and the way skin sits over the structure, without adding shape. Two sessions four weeks apart.
The assessment establishes which of the three changes is doing the most work, because treating them in the wrong order wastes money.
Dr Mattia Parducci looks at how much pigment there is and how superficial it sits, how prominent the tendons and veins are when the hand is relaxed rather than gripped, and how the skin behaves when pinched and released. He will check skin tone before recommending light based treatment, since intense pulsed light is not appropriate for every tone. He will also ask what bothers you most, because for some people it is entirely the spots and volume never enters into it.
Most people are treated for pigment first. Clearing sun spots alone often produces enough of a change that the volume question can wait, and there is no reason to do everything at once.
Avoid sun exposure and self tan on your hands for two weeks before any light treatment. Remove nail varnish if the assessment includes your nails. Avoid alcohol and anti-inflammatory painkillers for two days before injectable treatment.
IPL on both hands takes around fifteen minutes and feels like a warm elastic band snap with cold gel. Injectable treatment is placed with a blunt cannula through one or two entry points per hand and takes around twenty minutes.
Treated sun spots darken before flaking away over one to two weeks. Do not pick them. Expect swelling on the back of the hand for a few days after volume treatment, and keep hands elevated where you can. Daily sunscreen on hands afterwards genuinely matters.
Hands are the area where a small change in habit does the most, simply because so few people do anything at all.
Sunscreen on the backs of the hands every morning is the highest value habit available, and it prevents the pigment that causes most of the visible ageing. Keeping a hand cream by the kitchen sink and using it after every wash protects a barrier that gets stripped several times a day. A retinoid used on the hands two or three nights a week thickens the skin over months, though start slowly because this skin irritates easily. Gloves for washing up and for gardening prevent a surprising amount of cumulative damage.
Where home care stops is with pigment that has already formed and with volume that has already gone. No cream lifts an established sun spot, and nothing topical replaces the fat layer between the tendons. Crepiness improves modestly with diligent retinoid use but not to the degree that a skin booster achieves.
If your main concern is the spots rather than the hands as a whole, our sun damage page covers the same treatment across face, chest and hands.
Hand rejuvenation is £595. Lumecca IPL starts at £290 per session and Profhilo at £350 with a course of two at £650. Most people start with one of the three rather than all of them.
Usually the pigment. Clearing sun spots produces the most visible change for the least money, and it often turns out to be enough. Volume and skin quality can follow later if you still want them addressed.
Not at sensible volumes. The aim is to soften the relief of tendons and veins, not to make hands look plump. Dr Mattia places conservatively and reviews at four weeks before considering anything further.
Volume restoration generally lasts twelve to eighteen months. Cleared sun spots do not return, though new ones form without sun protection. Profhilo lasts around six months and is designed to be repeated.
IPL is brief and feels like a warm snap. Injectable treatment uses a blunt cannula and product containing local anaesthetic, so most people find it more comfortable than they expected. Hands are more sensitive than faces, so we take our time.
It depends on your skin tone rather than on the area. IPL targets pigment, so deeper tones carry more risk of unwanted pigment change. We assess this first and would recommend PicoSure or peels instead where appropriate.
We soften how prominent they look by restoring the volume around them, which is usually what people actually want. We do not treat the veins themselves; that is a vascular procedure and a different specialty.
Because they get far more sun exposure and far less protection, the skin is much thinner to begin with, and they are washed and stripped several times a day. It is a very common mismatch.
Sun spots darken and flake for one to two weeks after IPL, which is visible but not dramatic. Volume treatment causes swelling for a few days. Profhilo leaves small bumps that settle within hours.
Yes. Hands are one of the more common areas men ask about, particularly the sun spots, and treatment is identical.
No. Nail changes are a separate matter and can indicate a medical issue, so speak to your GP if your nails have changed. Our manicure treatments look after the appearance of nails but do not treat disease.
Yes for injectable treatment, and it is sensible before IPL so we can check your skin tone and confirm the marks are straightforward sun damage rather than anything that needs a medical opinion.
Verified Google reviews, left by people we have treated.
I go to Cannelle for facials, manicures and pedicures. The team is professional, skilled and attentive. It is a lovely, relaxing environment and my skin has never looked better.
I had the perfect pedicure. My toes look good again, so relaxing and ready for my summer holiday.
Fantastic. Very welcoming, explained the process and kept me updated throughout. I can already see an improvement in my skin texture and tone. Would highly recommend and cannot wait to return.
From the journal
Latest
More from the journal
Blogs
Blogs
Blogs
Dermal Fillers
Blogs
Our clinic is located in Summertown, Oxford, just north of the city centre in one of Oxford’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Discreet and easy to reach, we offer a premium setting for bespoke skin, aesthetic and wellness care.
We welcome patients from across Oxford city and Oxfordshire, including Summertown, Headington, Kidlington, Abingdon, Bicester, Witney and the surrounding towns and villages. Whether you’re coming for routine skin-health treatments or specialist aesthetic consultations, our location is well connected and simple to access.
Our clinic, Cannelle Skin Clinic, is just minutes from Oxford city centre and easily reached by car, bus or rail. Oxford’s mainline stations Oxford Station and Oxford Parkway are a short taxi or bus ride away, and regular services link to London, Reading, Didcot, Banbury and beyond.
By car, we’re conveniently accessed via key local routes with nearby parking options; by public transport, frequent bus routes along Banbury Road drop you within a short stroll of the clinic.
Whether you’re travelling from within Oxfordshire, further afield in the UK or internationally, our clinic offers a calm, personalised and professional environment for your visit.
