What do you get when your calf and ankle meet without a smidgen of taper between the two? A cankle, of course. Just the word alone conjures a less-than-dainty image. Also referred to as fat ankles, chubby ankles and thick legs, cankles are the result of excess weight, bloating and/or the genes mom and pop gave you. The good news? You too can be proud to turn a pair more delicate. All it takes is exercise, surgery or that good old fashioned standby—camouflage. One way or the other, there’s something for every woman who has ankle envy.
Cardio Away
Experts agree that the first step to saying goodbye to your cankle woes should be exercise. Exercise can help to reduce weight and slim down your overall physique, which may help to better define the calf to ankle area. This is your best bet, as it’s impossible to target any specific area of the body with exercises such as toe raises or a stairs. Experts advise a low-salt diet and adding lots of fruits and vegetables to reduce bloating that may be adding water weight to cankles.
Permanent Contour
If losing the weight doesn’t help, genetics are more likely your cankle culprit and it’s time to seek the services of a liposuction professional. However, using liposuction to contour this area is known to require an expert yet delicate hand, as it is filled with nerves, blood vessels and the Achilles tendon, which also makes the recovery process both long and painful. As one expert recently told ABC News, “The ankle is a tough area. There’s not a lot of fat there but there are a lot of nerves and blood vessels and the lymphatics that allow fluid to drain are somewhat less available in that area. Trauma to them can lead to swelling which leads to a prolonged recovery.” That’s according to Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a well-known and respected dermatologist in Omaha. As for cost, it’s said to generally fall within the $4,000 to $8,000 range.
Cover & Camouflage
If diet and weight loss don’t appeal and surgery is simply out of the realm of possibility, Stephany Greene, style expert to the stars, recently shared her advice with Realself.com for how to camouflage those cankles. To minimize the appearance of cankles, she says DO wear high heels (preferably nude in color) with pointy toes and a low vamp, which she describes as the area on top of your foot that is not covered by the shoe. DON’T wear sling backs or gladiators that hit the ankle area. Also, Ladies, never underestimate the benefits of a spray tan or great pair of boot-cut jeans.
At the end of the day, old advice is the best advice when it comes to seeking out a slimmer, more attractive ankle. Any time you’re looking to refine or reshape any part of body part, your best bet is to always start with a diet and exercise program you can commit to as a lifestyle, then seek out an experienced liposuction doctor to determine specific options for your body contouring goals.