Show a leg: get in shape for summer

© Shutterstock/Roman Samborskyi THIS SUMMER SEES THE RETURN OF THE LEG.

IT’S NOT SOMETHING WE’VE SEEN MUCH OFF IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THANKS TO WORKING FROM HOME AND TRAVEL BANS. JUST IN CASE YOU’VE FORGOTTEN, YOUR LEGS ARE THE BITS THAT GO FROM YOUR BOTTOM ALL THE WAY DOWN TO YOUR FEET. YOU’LL PROBABLY FIND THEM IN YOUR JOGGERS OR SWEATPANTS. THIS MAY BE TRAUMATISING, BUT FASHION HAS DECREED THAT BOTH SHORTS AND THE MINI SKIRT ARE BACK IN STYLE.

Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to get your legs back in a fit state if you want to strut your stuff. If you’re pale and pasty, then tanning can make your legs look slimmer and healthier. The Sun Spot on Broomhill Road are known for their excellent customer care and often have special offers on blocks of sunbed sessions. They’re really good at providing aftercare advice and unlike self-tanning, there’s no chance of streaks with a sunbed, so you can build up a natural looking tan gradually.

Now’s also a good time to book yourself in for a medical pedicure or a bit of pampering so your feet look good in summer mules, slides or sandals.

If you prefer a smooth leg, then there are a few methods that last a lot longer than shaving or home depilatories. Waxing is an option, provided you can cope with the momentary pain and don’t mind looking like a plucked chicken for a day or two afterwards. Alternatively Clinetix Grampian offer laser hair reduction treatment in courses of three or six treatments using the GentleLasePro Laser from Candela, the gold standard in laser hair removal.

Laser hair reduction is suitable for men and women, most skin types and all areas of the body. It also eliminates uncomfortable bumps caused by in-grown hairs, by destroying the affected hair follicles. Clinetix also offer laser treatment to improve or eradicate the appearance of thread veins (sometimes called ‘spider veins’) and broken capillaries on their legs. These can be very unsightly and embarrassing for sufferers and are often a reason people keep legs covered up. It’s a very precise treatment and can take less than an hour, depending on the extent of the area being treated and, in most cases, will provide a permanent solution.

If you have excess skin and fat, Alpha Clinic offer thigh lifts and liposuction treatments to reshape and smooth the thigh area. Liposuction can help eliminate pockets of stubborn fat and is great for targeting those areas that simply won’t respond to gym or diet. It can be used on the upper or lower legs and knees to reduce fat and improve texture and tone of the skin. Liposuction is great for people with Lipoedema which is a medical condition that causes abnormal fat distribution.

If you have moles, it’s important you have these checked, particularly if you’re exposing your skin to the summer sun. Alpha Clinic can offer mole checks, as well as mole, cyst, and lesion removals and biopsy results.

With a bit of preparation, when the sun comes out, you’ll be ready to strut your stuff in style.