23/12/2023
5 Steps to Getting Gorgeous Legs
If you're letting a few veins, blotches, and bumps stand in the way of summer's fluttery little skirts, cool shorts, and the deliciousness of warm breezes on bare skin... stop right now and read this.
Legs
Photo: Thinkstock
We know a woman, let's call her...Betty (as in Grable). She's smart. She's stylish. She's gorgeously statuesque. When the weather turns warm, she throws off her cashmere cardigan and happily exposes her lovely arms, her graceful neck, her splendid cleavage in gossamery, deep-cut blouses. Sleeveless, she strides briskly through the world like a woman who knows where she's going, and she does.
The funny thing is: We've never seen her legs. For all we know, they could be navy blue. Or covered in silvery scales. No matter what season, her legs are sheathed in pants or concealed in tights. Even the long dog days of a New York City summer don't motivate her to liberate them. Why?
She hates them. "You don't want to see my legs," she says ruefully. "They're pale. Veiny. Bruised. Dimpled. Oh, and my knees? Heading south."
We love tough cases. So we took this one on, making it our mission to free our friend from the shackles of her leg shame.
Since self-tanners can serve as a soft-focus light on your legs—blurring dimples, fading scars, making veins look less conspicuous—they topped our list of solutions. We tested dozens of them to come up with our favorites, and in the process figured out the best way to apply them. Then we asked doctors what they can do to make all the Bettys of the world feel better about their legs: What options are available to eliminate veins, fade bruises, and shore up saggy knees? And finally, we asked O's fashion team for clothes and strategies that will make anyone's legs look longer and leaner.
So if you, like Betty, can hardly remember the feeling of a deliciously warm summer breeze brushing against your calves, we think you might be persuaded to reveal them after you read our Complete Guide to Legs You're Proud to Bare.
Next: How to get rid of that ghostly winter pallor
Problem 1: Ghostly Pallor
The obvious (and best) solution: self-tanners—master dissemblers, gifted at bending the truth. See the best self-tanning products.
The No-Fail, Four-Step Perfect Self-Tan
After plenty of experience with dark patches and strange stripes, we've finally found a method that works every time.
1. Exfoliate. Are you more likely to follow directions when you know why you're doing something? Here you go: Since self-tanners react with the upper layers of your skin, if certain areas have thicker skin than others, your "tan" will be more concentrated there. In other words, you'll be splotchy. Buffing your skin with a scrub (look for one that's not too oily, like Neutrogena Energizing Sugar Body Scrub, $10) evens the tanning field. Give scalier areas, like your knees and feet, extra attention.
2. Moisturize. A thin coating of moisturizer smooths the surface of your legs and prevents streaks. It dilutes the self-tanner a bit—but what you lose in intensity you make up for in uniformity. Use a light lotion, like Nivea Smooth Sensation ($6); apply a generous dose to your palms, too—it'll keep the tanner from tinting them.
3. Apply. The directions on the bottle might tell you to start from your feet and work up—but don't. "Think about where the sun hits," says Kara Peterson, who trains aestheticians in the art of fake tanning at Clarins spas. "Start off in the middle of your thighs and the middle of your calves and blend out." Your feet and knees should get only whatever's left over. Also, do the job standing up, says Peterson—when your knees are bent, you might apply too much to the stretched skin.
4. Shimmer. After your self-tanner has done its work, blend a slightly iridescent lotion over the front and back of your thighs, along your shins, and down to your feet. "The strategically placed shine has a slimming effect," says Linda Hay, head makeup artist for Victoria's Secret Beauty. If you have olive or dark skin, you're lucky—just do step four.
The 10-second leg beautifier: If self-tanning sounds too involved, there's one thing that makes legs look better in a flash: lotion. As we age, cell turnover slows down, and legs start to get scaly, says Heidi Waldorf, MD, director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. If you have dark skin, this dryness may manifest as an ashy cast. A rich lotion smooths roughness and improves luminosity. Slather one on postshower, while your skin is damp. Waldorf likes Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Body Creme ($8.50), which contains lactic acid to slough away flakes as it softens. (After you shave, though, use an acid-free lotion to avoid irritation.)
Next: Hiding saggy knees and visible veins
Problem 2: Scary Bruises
Do your legs often look as if you just played a game of one-on-one with David Beckham? You probably haven't gotten clumsier—but you may have lost some padding. "As we age, we lose the fat just beneath our skin that protects our blood vessels from trauma," says Francesca Fusco, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. You can't do anything about the fat loss, but you can cut down on medications and supplements that make you more prone to bruising, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and vitamin E. Fusco also recommends taking 250 to 500 milligrams of vitamin C, which can strengthen collagen in the blood vessel walls, every day. Once the damage is done, bromelain supplements may help the discolored areas heal more quickly; take 500 milligrams twice a day, says Leslie Baumann, MD, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that topical arnica creams (try Boiron Arnicare Cream, $6) speed healing.
