Aging Legs - what works?

[RhymesWithTangerine]

i’m 47 and in the last year my legs have really aged.

Visible veins, weird texture skin, slight sagging and they look really pale even when I’ve put Dove gradual tan on.

what can be done? There’s nothing wrong with the shape but the appearance is terrible and I really need to be able to wear shorts in the summer.

Does anyone have tips?

Il Makiage Sun Foam is the best fake tan I’ve ever used.

Moisturise while legs are still damp.

This Works Perfect Legs is a good wash-off leg makeup.

I have very rarely worn shorts even in my youth. I’m a pear and they don’t show my best features. I find bare skin on chairs etc uncomfortable anyway so veer towards loose linen trousers, wide or cropped or both and dresses in summer. I do find that body brushing with a dry body brush and a daily tanning moisturiser helps.

Not sure if this has already been mentioned - body brushing! Upwards from the ankles to the top of legs before a shower using a stiff bristled brush
I often forgot but when I do it consistently the texture and colour of my legs visibly improves. I also love Sally Hansen for colour

Snap! @greengreyblue

I could have written this OP

I know I sound vain and don't really care but im gutted. I used to have amazing, amazing legs. Long, slim, amazing skin.

I know I've aged but I keep fit, eat well, drink plenty lots of water, exfoliate weekly and moisturise daily.

But they just look horribly veiny, pale bordering on blue and just un shapely.

I miss my beautiful legs.

Mmmm

Seems I'm missing body brushing ... I'll look into

Also look at longer shorts or cropped trousers as a compromise.

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz honestly I find it quite exhilarating. Your skin feels so tingly and alive afterwards. You start at your feet and do the whole body and always brush towards your heart.

I'm not so sure about the body brushing. I think the mild trauma to your skin could cause thread veins. I already have so many of those I'm desperate not to get any more.

It’s gentle and you must use a body brush. Don’t use if you have eczema or psoriasis or any other irritation .

> fist bumps <

This sometimes when I'm running and look at my legs I wonder why I friggin bother!

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz awww your username - nostalgia tripping now!!!

Yea. It's not fair, IT IS NOT FAIR. We need Jarvis to write a song on this stage of life for us.

I'm a runner too, 54 yo. I wore short denim shorts to the pub on Sunday and a bloke (friend of a friend, not completely random) felt the need to tell me I had "strong" legs 😆

That would be absolutely awesome! My days of rocking a short Fred Perry tennis dress are definitely numbered!

@Confortableorwhat I'll bet his pins were decidedly average at best!

He was boring as hell, too, but I know about his dodgy tax avoiding investments in far more detail than I ever wanted to 😆

I have both the Ameliorate and Cerave SA Smoothing Cream and prefer the Cerave tbh. I have very dry skin especially on legs and Cerave has been a god send.

I joined a posh gym several months ago, as an empty nest present to myself 😥 Three times a week approx. I swim, use several robust jacuzzis, the sauna, an ice plunge pool and two kinds of steam room.

I simply cannot believe how much the texture of the skin on my legs and elsewhere has improved.

I’m 45 and had a vein on my leg that I’ve been conscious of since I was 18, so I’ve never been a shorts wearer, but apart from that my legs are ok but look a 100 times better with some fake tan on. I use Ameliorate body lotion too.

Always HATED my legs - as I get older its more difficult to look at them as they age and veins get worse - fyi I am mid 30s but always suffered with them. In some ways they are better because of more muscle on them than my 20s, but the colour and veins are getting worse!

For the sagging and cellulite - I know this one might not be possible for you, I am not sure of your physical capabilities. but lots of exercise / muscle building and walking helps. Lots of water and a good diet goes a long way. Vitamin C, E, etc... If I go long periods like during COVID with less exercise my legs are the first to notice.

For skin routine- keep it simple and stick to it - twice weekly acid based exfoliation - (cheap The Ordinary glycolic works) and daily moistening with CeraVe Moisturising Cream Pot with Ceramides for Dry to Very Dry Skin

I fake tan once a week, or I cant bare to look at myself naked....and I recommend Vita Liberata body blur make up when you get your legs out in summer or for nights out.

This thread is perfect timing. Thanks op!

had my veins stripped about 35 years ago, now 79 and legs looked good up to a year or two ago, under anaesthetic at the op. no pain afterwards and very quick recovery

Urgh I am also 47 and have ok legs shape wise (run and do weights - I’ve gone heavier on the weights recently and it’s made a real difference but it’s hard work - twice a week in the gym on the leg press, adductors, abductors and lots of squats) but mine are also blotchy and pale - fake tan is the best thing but it’s such a faff and then after a few days goes patchy so you have to start all over again. I’d love to have that smooth olive skin some people have, instead of white/blue/dough ball kind of thing. Sigh. I also have fat knees despite running 30 miles a week - you can’t change their basic shape sadly. But yeah, fake tan and not too hairy helps!

Dough ball skin ... that absolutely accurately describes mine! Or, with the lovely age spots in acquiring - raw cookie dough

Great thread! I have a question to those of you who do lots of leg exercise, squats and so on: do you manage to avoid your legs getting too bulky? And if so, how?
Any particular exercise/ stretching techniques?