Hand Perfection Survey Says Hands Perceived By Women As Fastest Aging Body Part

Oct. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- NEW YORK – Hand care has lagged far behind skin care in terms of breakthroughs designed to address signs of premature skin aging on the hands. This is surprising since age spots (or hyper-pigmentation) are hands down the single most synonymous marker of age, and tend to appear on the hands earlier than any other part of the body!  What’s not surprising is that more than half of women believe their hands are the fastest aging body part compared to their face, hair and teeth, according to a survey commissioned by Ellen Sirot HAND PERFECTION™.

The HAND PERFECTION Survey was designed to determine the hand care habits and perceptions about hand aging among women. One hundred women participated in the study with 91% over age 30 representing 12 states.  The survey was conducted over the course of three weeks in July 2009, and revealed some interesting hand care insight.

Hands Speak Volumes…
•   More than half of women surveyed (about 56%) felt their hands were aging faster than their face, hair and teeth, and about three-quarters (74%) said they knew someone else who could benefit from an anti-aging solution for their hands.

Washing and Moisturizing Definitely Don’t Go Hand in Hand…
•   Although about 67% of women wash their hands seven times or more per day, only 5% moisturize as often. In fact, more than 1/3 of women (33%) reported only moisturizing their hands once a day.

What this says to world famous hand model and product innovator, Ellen Sirot, is that there’s plenty of room for improvement in terms of hand care behavior and practice. Sirot’s goal is to educate women about developing healthy hand care habits, while providing hands on solutions to help curtail and reverse the signs of premature skin aging on the hands.

Hands are neglected on a daily basis – more than any other part of the body:  plunged into hot water upwards of 10 times per day, scrubbed clean with dehydrating soaps, harsh detergents and anti-bacterial gels, infrequently moisturized and almost never covered in sunscreen.  “Think about how our face would look if we treated it the same way,” suggests Sirot.

Unlike our facial skin, the skin of our hands does not possess oil glands – so it can’t replenish and heal itself the same way.  “Hands get dehydrated each time you wash,” says Sirot.  “Add multiple washings per day with conventional soaps and cleansers - typically containing sulfates - which additionally strip moisture from skin. Hands get dry, cracked, irritated – which is why replacing that moisture after you wash is so important in the fight against skin aging.”  And while a staggering 77% of women are aware that hand washing leads to dry skin, with 96% washing five times per day or more, far fewer (less than 20%) keep pace to restore that moisture loss.

Sirot encourages washing with a sulfate-free cleanser, gently patting the skin dry, and then applying moisturizer while the skin is still damp to lock in hydration.

Having appeared in countless print ads and TV commercials, and serving as a hand-in for celebrity a-listers, Sirot is barraged daily with emails from men and women asking for advice on how to remedy the years of neglect that had become aged, leathery, worn out hands. So, she decided to take matters into her own...

Introducing Ellen Sirot Hand Perfection™

Sirot recently launched the FIRST comprehensive, clinically-proven treatment approach to hand care based on her 20 years of firsthand experience maintaining visibly ageless hands: Ellen Sirot HAND PERFECTION blends skin-friendly omega-3 fatty acids and powerful moisturizers with progressive technologies to help brighten skin tone, firm and tighten skin, and visibly improve texture; in no time, turning back the hands of time to reveal radiant, younger-looking skin – on the hands.

The fragrance free lineup includes four power-packed, topical skincare solutions – formulated WITHOUT sulfates, phthalates, parabens or petroleum by-products – and one preventive ancillary item:  

•   a gentle, hydrating, sulfate-free Moisturizing Cleanser. ($30)

•   an ultra-rich, fast-absorbing Complete Day Cream clinically proven to diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and improve texture and tone in 93% of subjects in JUST TWO WEEKS; available in two sizes, including one for the purse.  ($50/$30 respectively)

•   a nourishing and strengthening Nail & Cuticle Treatment, found to improve nail and cuticle hydration in 100% of subjects in JUST TWO WEEKS. ($22)

•   restorative Night Solution that capitalizes on the body’s circadian rhythms to help jumpstart the skin’s renewal process overnight - hastening cell turnover while firming, toning and brightening skin. ($75)

•   a stylish, protective Glovette in a racy, leopard print. ($35)

The collection is available online at www.handperfection.com.

More Facts at Your Fingertips

AGE
•   91% of women surveyed were over the age of 30
•   82% of women surveyed were between the ages of 31 and 60

HAND WASHING HABITS
•   67% of survey participants washed their hands 7 times or more per day
•   40% of survey respondents washed their hands 10 times or more per day

PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HAND AGING
•   82% of women felt their hands look indicative or older than their chronological age
•   More than half of women (56%) felt their hands were the fastest aging body part compared to their face, hair and teeth.  The face came in second (49%), followed by hair (38%) and teeth (28%).
•   74% of women said they knew someone who could benefit from an anti-aging solution for their hands

PURCHASE PATTERNS
•   88% were interested in exploring a simple, safe solution to turn back the hands of time on their hands.

The HAND PERFECTION™ Survey was conducted via SurveyMonkey, an online survey tool.

*NOTE: percentages of .5 or more were rounded up to the nearest whole number.

# # #

Lori Diamond Public Relations is a boutique publicity and marketing communications consulting practice specializing in emerging beauty, accessories and lifestyle brands. www.loridiamondpr.com