Putting in the Leg Work

Let’s be honest: Winter skin is a low-effort arrangement. Pants and leggings cover a multitude of sins, socks hide the rest, and nobody’s checking your heels. But spring has other plans, and so, it turns out, does your skin. Dermatologist Dr Shreya Andric from Northern Sydney Dermatology and Laser in Sydney talks us through the shift from hibernation to bare-legs season, one honest step at a time.

1. Shave smarter, not harder

If your razor’s been gathering dust since June, ease back in properly rather than attacking three months of neglect in one go. “Shave at the end of a warm shower, when the hair and skin have softened,” says Dr Andric. Skip the bar of soap; it’s drying and doesn’t give the blade anything to glide on. “Always use a shaving cream or gel, not soap,” she says. And shave with the grain of hair growth, not against it. It’s less satisfying, but it’s the difference between smooth skin and a constellation of ingrown hairs by Wednesday.

Finish with a fragrance-free moisturiser while skin’s still damp; it locks in more hydration than applying it later. And if you’ve been circling the idea of laser hair removal, Dr Andric says the cooler months are the ideal time to get started, “as skin is less tanned, so you’ll be ready by summer”.

2. The great winter scale rescue

That rough, flaky texture on your shins isn’t just dry skin having a moment – it’s months of hot showers and cranked-up heating catching up with you and your skin barrier.

“Moisturise daily, ideally straight after showering,” Dr Andric advises. The window right after you towel off is when skin absorbs the most. Look for ingredients doing real work: ceramides, glycerin or urea, all of which rebuild the skin’s moisture barrier rather than just sitting on top of it.

For anything genuinely scaly or flaky, Dr Andric recommends stepping things up a notch. “Use a moisturiser with five to 10 per cent urea or lactic acid for gentle exfoliation and smoother skin.” And the habit worth breaking now? Long, hot showers. They feel incredible… and betray your skin barrier every time.

3. Legs and feet, officially spring-ready

Here’s the truth about skin maintenance that nobody wants to hear: It’s not about one big exfoliation session before your first bare-legs day out. “Daily hydration is more effective than occasional exfoliation,” Dr Andric says. Consistency beats intensity, every time.

Feet need their own plan, especially if yours have spent winter in boots. “Don’t neglect your feet. Use a urea stick or urea-based foot balm to soften thickened skin on the heels and soles.” It’s a two-minute step that undoes months of neglect faster than you’d expect.

When it comes to smoothing things over, reach for chemical exfoliants – urea or lactic acid – over a gritty scrub. They are gentler, and genuinely more effective at resurfacing skin without irritating it.

And the one non-negotiable as your legs see daylight again? Sunscreen. “Wear sunscreen on your legs when they’re exposed, to prevent sun damage, pigmentation and premature ageing,” says Dr Andric. It’s the crucial step everyone forgets below the neckline, and the one that matters just as much there as it does on your face.