Beauty below the belt is just as essential to a complete anti-aging routine as care for the face, neck, or decollete. Follow these four quick below-the-belt beauty tips to look and feel youthful and confident from head to toe.
Moisturize and Massage
Skin on our legs and feet tends to be more prone to dryness, particularly for those of us who shave our legs. On top of that, desk jobs and careers that require long periods of standing can wreak havoc with circulation in the lower legs and feet. To boost circulation and restore hydration, follow-up each work day with a relaxing foot soak and massage with a deep-moisturizing cream containing shea butter or hyaluronic acid. For those looking for a solution to callus concerns, choose a moisturizer with lactic acid for better exfoliation. Follow this ritual with moisturizer or body oil applied to the calves and a mini massage to promote circulation in the legs. Then, put your legs up for the night. Keeping legs up on a stool and elevated will assist in improved circulation while also minimizing the risk of spider veins. For visible and varicose veins on the legs, a more advanced non-surgical solution such as photofacial treatments that utilize intense pulsed light (IPL) technology can help to minimize the appearance of vascular marks.
Fake Longer Legs
While it might be possible to tighten and tone legs, adding an inch or two to your height isn’t so realistic. You can fake it, though, and no we’re not talking about high heels. While sky-high heels are the easiest way to physically give leg length a boost, they’re not practical or comfortable for everyone. To fake an elongated leg while sporting shorter, more comfortable shoes, a little long-lasting makeup on the legs could be your new best beauty secret. Start by applying a long-wearing foundation all over the legs. While matching skin tone is ideal, going one subtle shade darker can help fake a natural-looking tan. Next is the most important step: applying highlighting cream. Yes, the same product used by all the top contouring makeup artists to fake higher cheekbones or a sculpted jawline can help fake the perfect leg, too. Simply apply highlighting cream along the center of the leg, starting at the ankle, up past the knee, and just past your hemline. Blend it in with fingers or a large beauty blender. But don’t dress until the makeup has set or it may transfer to clothing. Use a makeup setting spray to avoid any embarrassing makeup transfer to seats as well and add a touch of concealer where needed to minimize the appearance of scars or visible veins. For cellulite, makeup is certainly no match, but you may consider non-surgical treatments to smoothen skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite for the ultimate flawless legs.
Complement with Contouring
Target training may make for a successful fitness foundation, but some areas are hard to target with diet and exercise alone. While glutes and buttocks may be easier to target with a booty-boosting workout, thighs are a stubborn weight loss area, particularly for women. Why? The main culprit behind stubborn thigh fat is estrogen, a hormone that drives the increase in fat cells in females, causing deposits to form most commonly around the thighs. For the perfect complement to any regular diet and workout regimen, consider radio frequency-based body shaping treatments. These treatments utilize RF technology to deliver heat deep below the skin’s surface, targeting and breaking up fat cells for a smoother appearance and a reduction in thigh circumference. It’s an easy way to maintain results or burn off those last couple of pounds to meet your own below-the-belt body goals.
Ditch the Razor
Depending on the season, legs may not appear so lovely when shaving on a near regular basis to keep stubble at bay while risking near-daily razor burn for the idea of hair-free, gorgeous gams. As for beyond the bikini line, for those shaving pubic hair, it’s time to update the hair removal process. It’s much more difficult to avoid knicks and ingrown hairs in this tough-to-shave area and while waxing, exfoliating, and moisturizing may help, a better solution may be intense pulsed light (IPL) or laser hair removal. This is particularly true for those who tend to stick to one below-the-belt style and prefer to go bare down there year-round, rather than reverting to an au naturel look once the bikini gets packed away. Utilizing light to destroy hair follicles, these treatments reduce hair growth over time without causing an increased risk of ingrown hairs or cuts prone to infection. So, skip the razor and discover the longer-term beauty benefits of IPL or laser hair removal for this sensitive area.
To learn more about the benefits of non-surgical medical aesthetics treatments for your lower body, or to discover a boutique body treatment plan customized to meet your needs, contact a certified treatment expert near you today using the search field below.
