In my 40s my hands became tender. I was playing softball and catching and batting began to make my hands sting and ache in a pronounced way. My straight-bar mountain bike would hurt after only a few minutes, with my drop bar bikes causing problems after a little bit longer.

I put heel cushions in my biking and baseball gloves (fielding and batting) which helped somewhat.

I also began putting foam pipe insulation on my bike handlebars.

I addition I began changing hand positions on the drop bars often and added inboard bar-ends to the mountain bike as well as aero bars to get more hand positions.

Then a few years later my hand pain began relenting and easing up.

I believe an overzealous prescription of statins for high-cholesterol was the culprit. After a new doctor cut back on the dosage my hands improved.

Then 8 years ago I replaced coffee with yerba mate, which for some people like me, acts as a mild anti-inflammatory while reducing cholesterol and triglycerides.

Now in my 60s, my hands still get tender, but not as much and not as soon or often. I still pad my handle bars with light foam pipe insulation, but I don't use heel pads in my gloves anymore. I've also stopped using one or two gel saddles as my "sit bones" no longer ache.

I had converted my MTB snow bike to drop bars a few years ago, but the frame broke at the start of last winter. I picked up an old 90s straight bar bike for snow duty and went the whole winter without major hand discomfort with just mild bar padding.

My two folding bikes have no bar padding, the smaller one has straight bars but I rest my hands on the brake levers. The bigger folder has bull-bars and I am able to ride with my hands on the ends/fronts of those without padding for long periods.

I don't know if any of this will work for you or others, but it's what works for me.