Hand and nail care for older people

Treating your ageing parent to a manicure or pedicure can genuinely boost their well-being, as hands and feet will not only look better, but will cause physically less problems and mentally, looking good will boost their self-esteem

In-between manicures, encourage them to use some home care products to maintain the skin of their hands and feet, or do it for them

A good manicure and oedicure set will make hand and nail care much easier

The skin on the hands is often the first to show signs of ageing, as they have been exposed to the sun most of the time without SPF protection and it is the sun which will cause most of the signs of ageing we will see on the skin, including brown pigmentation spots

Older people can prevent more damage by using an SPF 15-30 hand cream whenever they go outside

Encourage your elderly relative to apply a rich hand cream every day as often as needed when indoors

If nails are flaking, suggest apply a little olive oil directly to them and massage it in

Suggest to your ageing parent that they wear glovesfor washing up and gardening

You can make a nourishing sugar scrub for them to use:

• Simply mix together two tablespoons of olive oil or grape seed oil with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• Rub the mixture into hands and feet and focus on any calloused areas
• Rinse under warm running water and pat dry for ultra-smooth, hydrated skin

Skin, hair and nail supplements are sometimes worth your ageing parent taking, if they are prone to weak, splitting nails

Remember they need to take the supplements regularly for at least three months, as they won’t notice any results straight away

A lovely gift is buying vouchers for their local nail salon, or local barber/hairdresser, where they can treat themselves to a manicure or pedicure

Julia is a leading holistic skin therapist who combines high tech treatments and skincare with an in depth knowledge of nutrition and natural therapies.

She draws upon her 15 years of experience and training to visibly improve her client’s skin conditions and believes in a preventative approach to anti-ageing. Julia’s philosophy is that “all skins can be measurably improved”. www.juliahart.co.uk