Cellulite, water retention, varicose veins… how to take good care of your legs?

Juliette Moreau Alvarez 7:16 p.m., November 21, 2022

Legs are honored on Europe 1. Often neglected, sometimes even badly treated, our legs nevertheless need to be pampered in the same way as our skin, our hair or our face.

In

, Nathalie Duarte, osteopathic physiotherapist and doctor Ariel Tolédano, vascular doctor, phlebologist and author of the book "Take care of your legs" published by Cerf, share their little secrets to restore your legs to their youthful glow.

Because it's not only during the summer that the legs have the right to shine!

For swollen legs, wear stockings

Down with swollen legs!

This feeling of pole legs caused by water retention affects almost 80% of women, often due to genetics.

"In fact, it is water that accumulates in the interstitial tissue, that is to say in the subcutaneous tissue", clarifies Ariel Tolédano.

"And so, this water is no longer drained by the circuit of the veins and the circuits of the blood vessels. If we don't help to drain, unfortunately, edema will set in."

>> Find all the shows of Mélanie Gomez and Julia Vignali from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Europe 1 in replay and podcast here

First advice from the vascular doctor: wear stockings for compression or support.

Another trick to cuddle your legs, eat well.

And in this area, beware of fake news!

"Something that I often see in women's magazines is that when you have retention problems, you shouldn't drink water. It's absolutely the opposite," warns doctor Ariel Tolédano.

"You have to drink cold water, because when you drink cold water, you're encouraging your body to burn more calories just to warm up that water in your body."

It is also recommended to reduce the amount of salt in your food.

Finally, protein will be your friend.

"The fact of not eating protein, it accentuates the oedemas. You must always have protein in your diet", recommends the doctor. 

Draining is also massaging.

Nathalie Duarte applies the so-called "Renata França" method named after the 42-year-old Brazilian who developed it.

This way of massaging helps with lymphatic drainage, and even if it is not always very pleasant, results are visible in one session.

"It all depends on the amount of edema, retention you have," explains the physiotherapist masseuse.

Massage and eat well against cellulite

A scourge for many women, but also some men, is cellulite.

A problem of fat storage, often difficult to eliminate.

“There are three types of cellulite,” lists phlebologist Ariel Tolédano.

"We have what is called aqueous cellulite, it's water. Then we have adipose cellulite, there it's really the storage of fat and adipocytes. And then the third form is fibrous cellulite, that is to say that there is a kind of fibrosis, it is very evolved cells which are also very resistant to treatment."

>> READ ALSO -

Cellulite: what are the most effective methods (and the others)?

In the latter case, massage can help, despite the difficulty of treatment.

“We also have techniques that can treat fatty and fibrous cellulite,” notes Nathalie Duarte.

Watery cellulite will also require a less fatty diet.

"Industrial sugars promote the accumulation of fat", specifies Ariel Tolédano.

The doctor recommends fresh pineapple, banana, caffeine or even green tea to help drain these fats.

"And of course, you need protein," he repeats.

Talk to your doctor about your varicose veins

Another problem that affects, this time, both women and men: varicose veins.

From the age of 70, 70% of the population has venous problems.

For Ariel Tolédano, one should not hesitate to take care of the problems of varicose veins to avoid complications.

"Today, the techniques have evolved a lot. We no longer operate systematically. We have techniques that can be practiced in a doctor's office. Even the surgery itself has evolved."

Things are simpler, "it's a shame to deprive yourself of it" concludes the doctor.

For example, lasers provide good management of varicosities.

In summary, do not hesitate to consult your doctor on how to cuddle your legs.