Love Your Legs

Pro solutions for soft, smooth skin

- VICTORIA KIRBY

When those first W itsy-bitsy spider veins or thigh dimples show up, you might be happy to look the other way. But if those types of changes start to bother you, there are solutions. In the past, cosmetic leg treatments were lengthy and painful; today, however, most can be done in under an hour with little to no pain. Here's what to consider, and a few camouflage tricks that work on everyone.

MAKE VEINS VANISH Contrary to popular belief, crossing your legs often or being on your feet all day won't give you spider veins (which are under the skin) or varicose veins (which are raised). Pregnancy, exercise, or injury to the skin may aggravate these issues, but it's genetics that brings them on.

SPIDER VEINS are painless clusters of damaged blood vessels near the surface of the skin that look like squiggles or webs. A dermatologist or a vascular surgeon can nix them with sclerotherapy, which involves injecting an FDAapproved solution into the veins to destroy them gradually, starting in two to three weeks; full results are visible after a few months. "Typically, you need two to three monthly treatments, and the injections don't hurt-it's more of a prickly sensation," says dermatologist Bruce Katz, M.D., founder of the Juva Skin & Laser Center in New York City. Sclerotherapy results are permanent, but if you're prone to spider veins, new ones can pop up.

Average cost: $750 per treatment