New Trend In Cosmetic Surgery: Hand-lifts
There's a new trend in cosmetic treatments: hand makeovers. A few injections and some laser treatments are giving people younger looking hands.
Liz Weber isn't embarrassed to talk about the cosmetic work she's had done.
"I've had Botox done for, like, seven years," she said.
She was happy with those results but cringed every time she caught a glimpse of her hands.
"They begin to look like your mom's hands," said Liz. "That's what freaks you out. It's like, 'I've got my mom's hands!'"
Liz got what is, in effect, a hand-lift. Dermatologist Marilyn Berzin says she's seeing a dramatic increase in the number of patients looking to improve the appearance of their hands.
"The face is looking like 40, but the hands are looking like 60 years old," said Dr. Berzin.
The most popular treatment is sculptra. It's injected and is a long-lasting cosmetic filler that adds volume to the skin and keeps tendons and blood vessels from showing.
"We have new options that we didn't have several years ago," said Dr. Berzin.
One is called thermage. It uses radio frequency to tighten skin and stimulate collagen. Another treatment is pulse light or the fraxel laser treatment, which restores skin using pixels of light.
"To me, if it's noninvasive, (I) can go back to work and it doesn't hurt, sign me up," said Liz Weber.
There can be mild redness after a procedure, but recovery and results are generally rapid.
Sculptra costs $1,000 to $1,200 per treatment. Thermage is about $2,500 for one treatment, and fraxel is $2,200 for four treatments.