More and more women are seeking treatment for ageing hands, in what’s being dubbed the ‘Madonna effect’, so called after the star’s own hand treatment to reverse this tell-tale sign of ageing.

It has often been said that to tell a woman’s age you need look at the neck and the hands, as previously work to reverse the signs of ageing was really only performed on the face. However as skill and technology advances it is now possible to treat ageing hands as well as an ageing face.

Until now it was usually Thermage or laser treatments that would have been used on the hands however fillers are now regularly being requested in clinics up and down the country. Thermage works by strengthening the collagen in the skin which results in it becoming tighter, whilst laser treatment can help to reduce sun spots and pigmentation.

Fillers can go a step further however as they will help to restore volume to the hands, which can often be the main problem. Thinning skin can lead to a crepey, shrunken look which can make the hands look older.

As a result of this it’s important that training for dermal fillers includes treatments for the hands as well as for the face.

Cosmetic Courses are the UK’s leading aesthetic training provider for medical professionals with over 50 courses on and offline within our 6 state of the art training clinics.

September 11 witnessed new legislation for the use of Botox in the US – it is now legal to administer it to the fine lines around the eyes.

Up to now the Food and Drug Administration had only approved the cosmetic use of Botox for lines across the forehead and between the brows, however doctors have been using Botox in the treatment of lines around the eyes for a number of years.

The approval came after a study led by Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox, into its efficacy as an anti-ageing injectable. In a controlled group of 833 adults one half received Botox injections to the eye area and the other half received placebo injections to the same area. The group that received Botox displayed the most sign of a reduction of wrinkles.

Although Botox was being used by doctors ‘off-record’ in this way, the approval will mean better safeguards and guidelines. Dr Marco Harmaty, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, told CBSnews.com that Botox has been used not only for crow’s feet for a number of years but also other unapproved parts of the face including creases by the side of the nose. However he also added:

“(It) does give you an added benefit and safety of saying that I’m not doing anything illegal or potentially harmful.”

The FDA approved Botox use for lines on the forehead in 2002.