Japaralia September 2026 vol. 36

English translation by Perplexity below

Vol. 36 Caring for the Skin Beyond the Face

As I write this, I find myself thinking, “What a warm winter this year has been,” but September is finally bringing the arrival of spring. It is a lovely time of year, but it is also the season when the ozone hole moves over Australia, allowing more harmful UV radiation to come through. Please be sure to take your sun protection seriously.

Lately, I have become more concerned than ever about the ageing of skin on areas other than my face. After a sudden drop in weight, I noticed more sagging than before. In the past, losing weight did not bother me much, but this time the skin on my upper arms and thighs felt softer. It lacked firmness and had a “flabby” feel. In addition to my hands and neck, which I had been concerned about for several years, this change felt like an emergency signal. What could I do? Our options are limited, but if the skin on the face and body look mismatched, it can reveal our age no matter how beautiful the face looks. Even with very elegant actresses, I sometimes feel a sense of disappointment when I see their neck or upper arms and notice the difference. I began to wonder: is it possible to keep not only the face but also the body skin looking beautiful?

This applies to laser and other treatments as well. However, looking ahead, daily home care is the most important factor. Aesthetic treatments are not a complete solution; they are more like a booster for your everyday routine. Today, I would like to share the care I am currently doing, for your reference.

First, for overall anti-ageing of the body, I take a collagen supplement. There are mixed opinions about collagen, but if you choose a high-quality product that is well absorbed by the body, it can be effective. I have been taking Tropocollagen, derived from fish, for over two years now. I started to notice effects after about six months. I believe that the minimal sagging I experienced despite the rapid weight loss this time was thanks to my daily collagen and skincare routine.

At the same time, I also do targeted care every day. A little over two years ago, I started applying the same Tropocollagen gel that I take as a supplement, not only to my face but also to the backs of my hands. I first began using it experimentally when I decided whether to stock this fish collagen in my business. I wanted to observe the effects of different grades of collagen separately, so I started using it on my hands as well. Within about two weeks, I could feel a difference, and I was thrilled. Since then, after applying it to my face and neck, I make sure to rub any remaining product on my palms into the backs of my hands.

In addition, since around the end of last year, I have been using a body cream that helps reduce cellulite and fat while firming the skin. My own body care had not been very consistent until then, so this was the trigger for me to start using a body cream properly.

The reason I started applying the same products to my hands as I do to my face goes back 17 years. A client who came for laser treatment had the left hand that looked remarkably youthful. When I asked, she told me that every day she dispenses the products she uses on her face onto the back of her left hand first. That memory stayed with me.

Especially in my case, my hands have always been a source of insecurity, unrelated to ageing. Even before I was fully aware of it, my father, who was not particularly concerned with beauty, would say, “I’m sorry, Yuriko, I couldn’t give you more feminine hands.” I was only in kindergarten at the time, and I remember thinking, “Really?” Later, in middle school, I went to the school nurse after jamming my finger, and she teased me, saying, “If your finger bone had been broken, it would have been so swollen that these wrinkles would have disappeared, so it’s just a sprain.” As a teenager, having my wrinkles pointed out like that made my hand insecurity even stronger. Given that my hands were already like that, I used to despair that they would look unbearable once ageing began. But now, thanks to daily care, I believe my hands are the best they have ever been in my life.

Although it is a bit embarrassing, I am sharing a photo of my hands taken seven years ago alongside one I took this morning. The older photo is not flattering, but I hope you can see the clear difference. I am also including a photo taken around the time I started my hand experiment.

I do occasional laser treatments on my hands and use hand cream, just as I did in 2019. However, the visible changes really began in the last two years, after I started a proper home-care routine for my hands. Interestingly, the backs of my hands and wrists, which are constantly exposed to UV, have become lighter than the upper side of my arms, which receive less sun. I never imagined that daily care could improve my hands this much. Looking at the photos, I even noticed that the wrinkles around my finger joints, which I was born with, have improved.

Even if you cannot see the effects day by day, this is how much difference consistent daily care can make over time. Please give your hands a little more TLC as well. 🫶