Why should you focus on hand and feet care right from a young age?

Usually, we all have a skincare routine for our face that includes cleansing and moisturising it constantly. However, most people ignore their hands and feet.

Our hands and feet are overworked everyday, due to which one of the most common concerns is dryness and roughness. These areas of our bodies are overexposed, and, sadly, one of the most overlooked. Let us see the purpose and advantages of taking care of your hands and feet.

Benefits and purpose of hand and feet care

• To maintain cleanliness: The primary goal of caring for your hands and feet is to keep them clean and maintain basic hygiene. This habit can help to prevent inflation and skin infections.

• To avoid skin damage: Ignoring your hands and feet skin may increase the deposition of dead cells, giving the skin a dry and rough appearance.

• To boost self-esteem: After the face, the hands and feet are the most prominent parts of our bodies, and maintaining them enhances your self-confidence around peers.

• To detect or investigate irregularities: When you keep an eye on them, you will be able to spot any changes in the skin texture of your hands and feet.

• Enhance beauty: The face is not the only body area that makes one appear beautiful and presentable. Your hands and feet can truly enhance your beauty when looked after well.

Age proof: Preserving them, like maintaining face skin, keeping the feet and hands looking fresh, and preventing premature ageing.

What can you do for them?

An old saying goes: you can analyse someone's cleanliness by looking at their feet and hands. You can change the appearance of your hands and feet simply by taking care of them regularly. These are a few things to remember and do to have clean and youthful hands and feet.

• By keeping them clean: Keeping your hands and feet clean can prevent infections. But using an antibacterial soap might leave your skin dry. Consider using a moisturising soap that has ingredients like shea butter, olive oil, or aloe vera to help prevent the skin's natural oils from being stripped.

• Maintain clean nails: When you put your hands in your mouth, your nails also contact the area. Dirty nails can lead to infection, so when you wash your hands and feet, clean your nails and remove any dirt lodged under them.

• Hands and feet exfoliation: You should exfoliate them using home remedies or natural scrubs. Scrubbing can help you eliminate all the dead cells and improve blood circulation.

• Moisturising regularly: It is a step in keeping your skin healthy, and face skin is not the only area to be moisturised regularly. Skipping this step can leave skin dry, leading to premature wrinkle occurrence.

• Using gloves: Wearing gloves while doing chores like washing clothes or dishes can prevent your hand skin from drying up and being scratchy. 

• During the day, feet can become excessively dirty, and this dirt can block pores. You can pedicure your feet using home remedies that can do wonders without emptying your pockets.

Steps to age-proof your hands and feet

• Cleanse: Begin by regularly cleaning the surface and eliminating as much dirt as possible, especially after coming from outside.

• Exfoliate: This step can aid in the removal of dead cells and the promotion of blood circulation. 

• Moisturise: The most crucial step after cleansing and exfoliating is to moisturise the skin.

• Sun protection: Sun exposure is a primary cause of pigmentation and premature ageing. As a result, using sunscreen can be extremely beneficial.

Ingredients you should incorporate to slow down ageing.

Ageing is a natural process that involves gradual changes in our bodies and skin structure and function. The chemical interactions within cells promote ageing by declining collagen levels over time. Ageing is an inevitable process but can be avoided for the time being by incorporating these beneficial hand and feet care ingredients:

• Retinol

Use a body lotion and hand lotion that contains retinol as its ingredient. Retinol is one of the best anti-ageing (enriched with vitamin A) ingredients, and do not forget to wear sunscreen before stepping out.

• Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid's virtues and benefits are being extolled by many companies who want to use it in their cosmetics. It is a natural substance present within the body that helps hold moisture and keeps it from rapidly ageing.

• Niacinamide

Niacinamide is a niacin or vitamin B3 derivative. It is a necessary component of most cells, but the body can only create so much of it. Therefore it must be obtained from outside sources. It's wonderful for treating aged and dry skin and being ideal for youthful skin. You can either use a serum or a body lotion with niacinamide as its main ingredient.

• Peptides

Amino acids are generated as collagen breaks down, and these active molecules and proteins are classified as peptides. While women under the age of 30 have plenty of collagen to release peptides, as they get older, their collagen levels begin to dwindle, necessitating peptide-containing products. Peptides help reduce or slow down the ageing process and prevent your hands and feet from developing wrinkles early.

To have attractive and youthful feet and hands, you don't need to spend a lot of money on salon treatments; simply make changes to your daily routine.