20th June 2018

HOW TO SLIM DOWN CALVES

Despite a general ambition of obtaining and maintaining long, toned and healthy legs, some women struggle with the size of their calves as they can appear ‘too big’ or ‘too wide’. Thinner calves are often considered more elegant and having bigger calves may give what some women feel is an disproportionate size from the bottom to the top of the body. Not only can this be a problem aesthetically, but some women may struggle to fit in boots or other clothing if their calves are too wide. Fortunately, there are some techniques and treatments that can be used to slim down your calves.

Why do we have wide calves?

The reasoning behind wide calves is complex and can be down to a number of causes. Firstly, an unbalanced diet and sedentary lifestyle can play a part in the size of our legs; if our diet is high in salt and fats then our body shape can change dramatically, particularly the calves. When putting on weight, fat deposits may find their way to the calves over other areas of the body. If you decide to lose some weight, it may become hard to shift the fat from this area.

You may also be supporting your walking or other exercise activities by predominantly using calf muscles, as the rest of your muscles could be underdeveloped or injured. This extra strain can place stress on the calves and will result in muscle hypertrophy (the muscle growing as a faster rate than other parts of the body). Your calves may also simply be down to genetics; unfortunately, no matter how much we diet, our body won’t change due to our genes! Despite this, there are still solutions available with leading London dermatologist, Dr Firas Al-Niaimi.

How can I reduce the size of my calves?

Although you may think you’re stuck with wider calves forever, there are plenty of solutions to try before you give up!

Botox for Calf Slimming

Due to genetics, changing your calves may simply not be possible using other techniques. Despite this, there are treatments available which will do the work for you. Botox is a widely-used and safe treatment which restricts the use of muscles in any prescribed part of the body. By using botox injections, Dr Firas will restrict the activity of the calf muscles. This will mean the muscles will be used less strensouly, resulting in its shrinking and it becoming smoother.

Despite the muscle being restricted, patients will be able to resume their daily activities as normal. This treatment is relatively quick, easy and painless; although some discomfort can be felt during the treatment, an anesthetic cream can be applied prior to the treatment to soothe this. After a couple of months, you should see results as the calf muscles begin to shrink and appear smoother. You may be required to attend more sessions dependant on your condition and if you want to maintain results.

Enquire for your calf slimming consultation now with Dr Firas Al-Niaimi.

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