If you look down and can no longer see your ankles then maybe it’s time you consider seeing a Medical or allied health professional?
Swollen legs are a very common and frustrating issue in the lower limbs and is often more prevalent in the summer periods.
Arteries carry blood from the heart out to the rest of the body. Veins carry blood back to the heart and are responsible for removing fluid.
Veins have a tough gig as they must go against gravity. This is done by the muscles in the legs when walking, which squeeze the deep veins pushing blood back up to the heart.
The one way valves in the veins keep blood flowing in the right direction. When the leg muscles relax, the valves inside the veins close. This prevents blood from flowing back down the legs.

What causes Swollen Legs?
Venous insufficiency, which is a condition that occurs when the veins have trouble sending the blood back to the heart causing blood to pool in the legs.
This can be caused by sitting or standing for long periods of time as it does not work the muscles in the legs that help to pump the blood in the veins.
Veins are usually able to withstand short periods of increased pressures from standing or sitting. However, long durations in susceptible individuals can stretch vein walls, causing damage.
The build up of pressure from the blood pooling in the veins, causes the lymphatic system to compensate for this by producing fluid. The tissue in the legs may absorb some of this fluid, causing the legs to swell further.
Blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) also prevent blood from flowing toward the heart. This increased the blood pressure in the vein, which, in turn, overloads and damages the valves.
DVT’s require immediate medical attention because sometimes the blood clots in the veins can break off and travel to the lungs.
Varicose veins can also cause swollen legs as the valves in the veins are missing or impaired.
Risk Factors for Swollen Legs

• Age
• History of blood clots
• Varicose veins
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Smoking
• Cancer
• Muscle weakness, leg injury, or trauma
• Swelling of a superficial vein (phlebitis)
• Family history of venous insufficiencies
• Inactivity (standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time)

Diagnosing Swollen Legs (Venous Insufficiency)
 Physical examination and medical history.
 Duplex ultrasound or diagnostic test (venogram) to see the health of the veins.

Treatment for Swollen Legs (Venous Insufficiency).

• Keep legs elevated whenever possible, even when sleeping.
• Compression stockings to apply pressure to lower legs.
• Lymphatic massage therapy.
• Avoid long periods of standing or sitting.
• Keep legs uncrossed whenever sitting.
• Regular exercise.
• No smoking.
• Medication (i.e. diuretics, anticoagulants, pentoxifylline).
• Surgery (repair of veins or valves, stripping of veins, vein bypass, sclerotherapy, angioplasty or stenting).

At Well Heeled Podiatry we can assess your vascular status and provide you with educational advice on how to manage excessive fluid in the feet and legs.
We will advise on a referral to a vascular specialist if we see any serious signs of venous insufficiency.

Written by Podiatrist, Monique Harding

Slapping on the latest brand name wrinkle cream to “reduce the visible signs of aging” probably won’t reduce the visible signs of aging. It will, however, reduce the visible signs of money in your bank account. My mantra is work from the inside out. Here are some tips on how get your skin glowing:
Stay hydrated
Each of us requires 30ml of water per kilo of body weight to maintain hydration per day This excludes extra sweating from exercise so add more in on those days. You can hydrate with herbal teas, coconut water and filtered water. Think of all that water plumping up those skin cells to help your skin look full and fresh.
Eat foods that are high in antioxidants
This means fruits and vegies. Add a variety of antioxidant rich super foods into your daily diet. Antioxidants are important for mopping up free radical damage to skin cells. They prevent fat oxidation and reduce inflammation and scarring. Antioxidant rich foods to focus on eating more of include cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, oregano, cacao powder, berries, dark coloured grapes, red onions
Avoid bad fats
Bad oils in the diet translate to bad skin because it is sebum (oil) at the skin level that determines how oily or dry your skin is. Too much bad fat such as margarine, trans fats found in commercially made biscuits and cakes and seed oils such as canola oil should all be avoided. They can contribute to oily skin and increase acne. Instead focus on eating more good fats. These include fish, avocadoes, coconut oil, raw nuts and seeds.
Take a good quality fish oil
Fish oil is important for reducing inflammation and helping with the production of hormones. The aim of the game is to increase your body’s omega 3s and reduce your intake of trans fats. Most of us do not eat enough fish so a good quality supplement is a great idea. My favourite brand is Nordic Naturals.
Try dry skin brushing
Dry skin brushing or exfoliating in the shower are both excellent ways to get rid of dead skin cells and allow your skin to breath. The other thing skin brushing achieves is helping move lymphatic fluid below the surface of the skin to help the elimination of toxins. After all, your skin is your biggest elimination organ and needs to be an open channel.

Skin nutrients

Skin nutrients to think of are vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc. Get in touch if you would like to look into the possibility that you could be deficient in some of these essential nutrients for good skin health.

Written by Naturopath- Susan Hunter