You can come close to guessing someone's age by noting gray hair or wrinkles on their face, but equally as telling are your hands. Yes, hands reveal your age every bit as much as your face. What can you do to literally turn back the hands of time?

Your hands can reveal your age mainly by the condition of the skin, just like the fine lines and deep wrinkles on your face or sagging skin on the neck.

When you notice someone with old-looking hands, there are some common telltale clues. Old-looking hands tend to be dry, possibly flaky and have an almost “weathered” look. These things can be caused by exposure to the elements like extreme weather conditions and wind. It may also be due to using harsh chemicals for cleaning or at work, and using little to no moisturizer.

Sun exposure is a big enemy to young-looking hands. Sun damage ages the skin on your hands and brings out those nasty blotches, freckles and age spots. Sun damage is also responsible for giving skin that leathery texture and damaging underlying skin cells.

As we age, our skin tends to lose that “plump” look and thins out. As the skin thins out, wrinkles begin to form all over the hands, especially on the backs of the hands. In addition, the thin skin showcases those very unattractive blue veins all over the back of the hands. The veins seem to pop out and tend to be more noticeable as the skin continues to thin out. The fingernails tend to become brittle and take on a yellowish tint, as well.

Hand creams may work to soften the effects of old-looking hands for short periods of time, but the results don’t last for long.

What more can you do to actually make your hands look younger on a more permanent basis?

By giving your hands a good workout, or massage, you will have much younger-looking hands in only about four weeks.

Massaging the hands will increase blood circulation, in addition to working the underlying muscles and tissues. Just like exercises for the face and neck, the muscles respond to stimulation and because the skin is attached to these muscles located close to the skin’s surface, the skin responds. The skin's response is to firm up and take on a more toned appearance. The spots begin to fade, wrinkles diminish and the skin tone and texture becomes smoother, more supple and overall, takes on a much younger appearance.

When trying to guess someone's age, you look at their face and notice things like crow's feet, lines around the mouth, jowls and cording of the neck. Did you realize that people can also guess your age by simply looking at the skin on your hands? Old-looking hands can really give your age away.

By exercising and massaging the muscles in your hands, they can take on a much younger look in a short period of time. Since hands reveal your age, don't forget to include them in your overall anti-aging plan.