Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION General
A1 Communications
Cable Techs Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator

Every day, women moisturize, conceal and exfoliate in an effort to take years off their face, but morning rituals tend to ignore underappreciated, over-utilized legs. After walking thousands of miles over the course of a lifetime, legs start to show their age.

Lois Joy Johnson, beauty and fashion director at More, the lifestyle magazine for women older than 40, navigated beauty department shelves to test the countless lotions, potions and creams designed to ward off visible signs of aging on the legs — spider-veins, cellulite and brown spots included.

"I used to be a sun bunny, and my legs tell the baby-oil-and-iodine story all too well. So I went into leg rehab. After much treadmilling and many doorknob pliés, I realized the answer was cosmetic, not gymnastic," said Johnson.

1. On high-heel days, Johnson swears by caffeine-laced cellulite creams and massage to get rid of excess fluid causing puffiness in the calves and ankles. Daily morning rubdowns, working upward in long strokes, with Yves Saint Laurent Profil Minceur ($59) noticeably reduce swelling, giving inner thighs and knees the firmness provided by mild control pantyhose in just six weeks.

2. Smoothing lotions containing alpha hydroxyl acids aren't always strong enough to work on rough, dry legs, but Peter Thomas Roth's AHA 12 percent Body Lotion ($44) has a higher-than-usual concentration that proves effective.

3. As age turns youthful skin into a dermatological Jackson Pollock splatter painting of brown spots and spider-veins, Johnson applies Lumedia ($90), a 2-percent hydroquinone lotion designed for facial use, twice a day to the larger freckles, and it lightened them considerably. "The abstract art has been muted to a Monet blur," said Johnson.

4. An alternative to painful sclerotherapy sessions, Johnson found N.V. Perricone Alpha Lipoic Acid Spider-Vein Leg ($120) to be ideal for combating spider-veins. The DMAE complex touted on the label is said to rebuild collagen and provide a support structure for blood vessels, and twice-daily applications can make a drastic difference.

5. Dior Airflash Spray Foundation ($60) is really designed for the face, but Johnson opts to use it in place of traditional hosiery. Although it's not sold as transfer-resistant, it does not come off on clothes or chairs, and it has more flattering shades than most leg makeup. Simply spray on the foundation, blend with a sponge, and hit the ground running.