From swollen ankles to bruising easily…what your legs REALLY say about your health
WE often forget about them but now tights-off weather has arrived, it’s time to pay attention to our pins.
From swollen ankles to spider veins, SIOBHAN O’CONNOR reveals what legs tell us about our wellbeing.
IF YOUR ANKLES SWELL, YOUR DIET COULD BE TOO SALTY
HEAT can often make our ankles swell - especially if our feet are strapped in warm shoes.
But it’s not the only reason, says Harley Street podiatrist Marion Yau.
She says: “High intake of salt may make you retain fluid in the body. Sodium controls fluid balance in the body. Too much salt intake can cause legs, ankles and feet to swell.
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“Oedema is swelling in your ankles, often a result of sitting or standing for too long where fluid builds up, while lipoedema is a condition that causes excess fat to accumulate in your lower body.
“In worst cases, swollen legs can also indicate heart, liver and kidney disease. If the kidneys do not function properly, it can lead to fluid retention in the body and legs.”
Always check any health concerns with your GP.
In the meantime, invest in compression socks to ease swelling such as Legs On The Go, £5, from .
IF YOU BRUISE EASILY, YOUR SKIN IS PROBABLY THIN
DR Philippa Kaye, a GP from London, says: “Leg bruises are common — some of us are just clumsier than others.
“But women bruise easier than men due to differences in skin structure. Women have thinner skin and thinner layers of collagen.
"Certain medications like aspirin can make your skin thinner and naturally our skin loses thickness as we age.”
Massage with Arnica; Neal’s Yard Arnica Cream, £7, .
A lack of vitamin C can also be a reason for thinning skin and bruising, so add a supplement to your diet.
IF YOUR LEGS ACHE, YOU COULD HAVE POOR CIRCULATION
ACCORDING to Ed Sideso, vascular consultant and surgeon at UK Vein Clinic: “Achy, heavy and swollen legs are often due to a build-up of fluid and the poor circulation of healthy blood.
“It can often take extra effort just to move and legs feel fatigued.
“This is one of the first signs of vein problems for some patients — which can occur with or without the presence of visually prominent veins.”
In the evening, try sitting with your legs resting up against the wall to encourage lymphatic drainage.
Dry brushing from the soles of your feet up to your thighs will also help with lymphatic drainage.
Also, have a bath with epsom salts, which contain magnesium, a lack of which can cause muscle soreness.
IF YOU ALWAYS GET PINS AND NEEDLES, YOU MAY BE VITAMIN-DEFICIENT
IT’S a funny sensation we all get from time to time, but regular bouts can be a sign of vitamin deficiency.
Marion Yau says: “A reduction in B12 can cause pins and needles as it can affect the nervous system.
“This is because B12 forms a fatty layer called myelin that protects your nerves — if the nerve is damaged it can cause a prickling sensation.
“Usually the deficiency needs to happen for some time for this symptom to occur.”
Pins and needles that travel from the back down the leg and even into the foot could be a sign of sciatica — where the sciatic nerve in the back is irritated.
Vitamin B12 supplements, £2.99, .
IF YOUR VEINS ARE INFLAMED, IT COULD BE THROMBOSIS
PUFFY, inflamed veins can often be triggered by thrombosis.
Dr Sideso says: “This is a clot within the veins. Symptoms of inflammation caused by thrombosis include redness of the skin and painful hard lumps underneath the surface.
“While the inflammation will often reduce, thrombosis can be dangerous, particularly if the blood clot(s) in your vein breaks loose and travels to other areas of the body. It’s important to tell your doctor if inflammation occurs.”
It could also be an early sign of varicose veins.
SPIDER VEINS? IT’S HORMONES OR AGEING
SPIDER veins are the smaller, thread-line veins that can often appear blue or red.
Marion says: “These are broken veins which are blue, red or purple on the surface of the skin.
"Evidence shows that an increase in oestrogen levels can cause dilated veins, increasing the risk of spider veins. This is more common during pregnancy and women over 30.”
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Spider veins can also be caused by an injury, sunlight or being sedentary for long periods of the day. Try stretching your legs for ten minutes every hour to wake up blood flow.
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Though professional treatments are often required to remove spider veins, you can reduce the appearance with a cream.
Use Vein Away, £22.99, .
BUFF THEM UP
TRY STRIPLESS WAX: You’ve likely been shaving your legs wrong this whole time.
According to a Tiktok user, you should move the razor up and down your leg without lifting it off your skin.
If you prefer to wax, try a stripless bead wax. Warm it up, spread it on, wait to cool and peel off. It’s less painful.
Mylee Coconut & Arnica Stripless Wax, £12.99, .
7-DAY FOOT EXFOLIATION: Sandal weather means we are after one thing – baby soft, crack-free feet.
Membership service Beauty Pie has the solution, with Dr Glycolic’s Soft Feet 7-Day Peel Socks, £5.59, .
Slip them on for an hour for seven days of tough exfoliation, shedding off all the dry skin from your toes to your ankles – and kicking goodbye to cracked heels.
FAKE TAN WITH GLOVE INSTEAD OF MITT: We’ve often relied on a mitt to prevent us getting orange hands.
But Australian Tiktokers the Hondrout Twins have clocked up over nine million views by showing the surprising, and better, results of tanning with surgical style gloves – giving a consistent finish overall.
Make sure you exfoliate and shave before. Skinny Tan gradual tan, £13.99, .
THE FOUR-WEEK CELLULITE TREATMENT: We all get cellulite – and though you can’t zap it away completely, you can reduce the appearance.
Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil, £27.50, is a completely natural treatment for cellulite skin – made entirely from plants.
Use twice a day, morning and evening, for four weeks and notice dimples disappear.