Smart solutions for life’s little disasters

THE REALIST

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women are on top of their game when it comes to taking care of their face; but when it comes to hands? Not so much. Yet damaging UV rays, harsh soaps, and exposure to chemicals(when you clean your house or paint your nails) can make the skin on your hands age—fast! If you’re dealing with dry skin, sunspots, wrinkles, or nail challenges (and who isn’t?), it’s time to take action. Here, skin experts share their best at-home tricks—and explain the options for in-office treatments.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T CLIP YOURCUTICLES: THEY PROTECT THE TISSUEUNDER THE NAIL,WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING CELLS THATFORM THENAIL.

RESCUE RAGGED CUTICLES

If you pick your cuticles when you’re nervous, trim them (you shouldn’t) when doing a mani, or have never even thought about moisturizing them, chances are you experience frequent (ouch!) hangnails.

WHAT TODO: It’s tempting to rip a hangnail off, but don’t. Instead, snip it with nail scissors. “The results of ripping—a sore finger and an open wound that could end in a bacterial or fungal infection—aren’t worth it,” says Dendy Engelman, a dermatologist in New York City. If you don’t have scissors, coat the hangnail in Vaseline and cover it with a bandage until you do. Prevent hangnails by applying an oil, like Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil ($9; essie .com), or an ointment with petroleum jelly, like Aquaphor ($8; at drugstores), nightly.

Smooth away lines

Hands are in constant use. “With all that stretching comes a loss of firmness, which can result in wrinkling,” says Neal Schultz, a dermatologist in New York City.

WHAT TODO: “Switch to a hand cream with hyaluronic acid,” says Schultz. “It will temporarily increase skin volume from moisture, which fills in wrinkles.” Try Filorga Hand-Absolute Rejuvenating Hand & Nail Cream ($29; nordstrom .com). Helpful for longterm results: exfoliants, including glycolic acidsand retinoids, in productssuch as Vichy LiftActiv Retinol HA ($48; vichyusa.com). “They reduce wrinkles by signaling the skin to make more collagen and increase thickness in its top layer,” says Schultz. NEXT LEVEL: If hand crinkles drive you bonkers and you have the cash, ask your doctor about hyaluronic acid fillers to plump the skin (such as Restylane and Juvéderm, $1,500 to $2,500 per treatment). Or consider lasers, like the Erbium ($2,500 per treatment) or Fraxel ($1,500 per treatment), which prompt the body to make more skin-plumping collagen.

Repair dry, cracked skin

“Soap may make your hands squeakyclean, but too much of it can compromise the proteins and lipids in the skin that prevent hands from dehydrating,” says New York City–based dermatologist Vermen Verallo-Rowell.

WHAT TODO: Skip antibacterial soaps, which have not been shown to work better than plain soap and water, and wash with a gentle cleanser that contains an occlusive like shea butter or petroleum jelly, lipid-replacing ceramides, or hyaluronic acid or glycerin. Try Softsoap Hand Wash Plus Lotion in Shea & Cocoa Butter ($3; at drugstores). “I use coconutoil,” says Verallo-Rowell. “I warm itbetween my hands before rinsing.” Follow up with a moisturizer that has the same ingredients found in your hand cleanser, like CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream ($11; cvs.com).