Old Man Hands

~ beetleypete

It is unusually bright here this morning, and as I was typing the last part of my fiction serial earlier, I noticed something.

It was something I didn’t like.

I have the hands of an old man.

Thin, papery skin, heavily wrinkled. Visible veins, and numerous red blotches probably caused by a lot of ice-scraping yesterday, as I defrosted a freezer. The slightest impact with the side of the appliance as I was scraping caused almost immediate bruising.

My hands have never been that big, but now they look puffy around the finger joints, and the sides of my wrists display a definite swelling that feels soft to touch. But my wedding ring feels loose, and is easy to slip on and off.

I am far from ancient, by modern standards. If I make it to next March, I will be 68 years old. But my hands are getting ahead of the calendar, and already look to be in their late seventies.

I took a photo of my right hand, and was going to add it to this post to illustrate what I mean.

But I didn’t like it, so you will just have to imagine.

It was a photo of someone else’s hand, as far as I could tell.

The hand of an old man.

69 thoughts on “Old Man Hands”

    1. I might debate that ‘fun’ bit, Abbi. 🙂
      Yes the hands still work, though sometimes in the same way as those claw-things in the seaside arcades. You know, the ones that are supposed to grab you a soft toy, or some other prize, but always seem to let go at the crucial moment. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  3. Like Cindy, I have good feelings when I see my age spotted hands since they remind me of my grandmother. The worst is when I use those high pressure air hand dryers and watch my skin wobble and crease. My granddaughter used to laugh with delight when she watched the phenomenon.

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  4. Maybe its your glasses, take another look without them on, thnigs will look better 🙂
    I will ask Gosia for a suggestion, I know she does some face oil which is much sought after by sufferers of thin skin, maybe she has something for the hands too 🙂

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  8. Old man😂😂😂😂 Good morning, sir. Did you just find out that you are old??? Even newborn babies find out they are in a new world after their birth before you did.😂😂 😈😈 teasing mode on.

    No, but if you want normal skin try and apply shea butter lotion. Trust me on that. I am preparing myself for old age at the age of 18. So try it if you can find the lotion. It’s very healthy for your skin and veins. Regulates blood. 😁😊

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  9. The joys of aging. I’ve spent the past five days nursing a bad back, and I’m going stir crazy. When the highlight of the day is that I can almost put my shoes on, that’s pretty brutal.

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    1. I spent three hours squatting on a hard floor yesterday. I was defrosting an old freezer in the shed, using a hair-drier and an ice-pick. Later that evening, I could hardly move, and trying to get out of bed this morning looked like it might not happen.
      So I feel your pain, Pete.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  16. I have a similar experience every year in Winters. My hands lose all fat and begin looking 10 years ahead of my age with wrinkles and marks. Then I get depressed, begin binge eating and by spring, my hands are their young-self again! 😁

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  20. If you are taking steroids or certain drugs to reduce blood pressure they can make this bruising and thinning skin worse. It also is an effect of aging but don’t forget today’s life expectancy is ridiculously high . Cave man averaged about 30 yrs. I’m 77 and have highly sensitive hands covered in veins and they always have the odd purple patches , just a tap will bring up a new one.
    We are spoilt in the rich democratic west and medical research is going to extreme limits to keep us ticking over.
    Remember that old song Its Good News Week ?
    It’s good news week
    Someone’s dropped a bomb somewhere
    Contaminating atmosphere
    And blackening the sky
    It’s good news week
    Someone’s found a way to give
    The rotting dead a will to live
    Go on and never die.

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  21. The hands just show age faster than the rest of the body, Pete. They are always exposed and they are always working. So here’s a therapy tip that works remarkably well, one that I learned from my late mother: Cover your hands in petroleum jelly. Rub it into your cuticles, nails, all over your hands. Let it soak in for about five minutes. Then cover your hands in a really good lotion. (I use Vaseline intensive care lotion.) Than put you hands into some roomy, soft socks and go to bed. Sleep with the socks on your hands. Do this every night for 7 days. You will be amazed how much better your hands look and feel. You can do it every night, if you want.

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    1. I will think about that, Pam. I did something similar with my feet last year, when the heels cracked badly after long walks with Ollie. But I will have to consider what it might be like to sleep with something over my hands. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  22. i’ve come to terms with the physical changes, aches and pains included, Pete. but i’m trying to keep young at heart and joyful. do things i love to do that i can and i’m a happy camper. cheers!

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  23. Yeah.. oddly I did the hands observing shock & awe a couple days ago. Other appendages as well. :/
    I also had a shock seeing the backs of my legs.. a place seldom looked at.. varicose veins.. spider veins… where did all this come from? [sigh]

    My therapy: Watching the kickoff of the Trump impeachment today.

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  24. I have noticed those changes, too, Pete. And I do not like it one bit. In certain light it is even worse. It is as if it happened overnight, but I suppose it was working toward this look for 65 years. Still does not mean I have to like it.

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