How do I ease

QI am 82 and suffer from swollen legs and ankles, which I believe is to do with circulation problems. my legs are always red and my ankles look as if I have a tyre around them.

I really hate the way they look. I walk as much as I can but this doesn’t seem to help either. Is there something else I can do?

all my GP advises is to put my legs up which I try to do when I can.

AIN older people swollen ankles are often linked to problems with circulation, with pooling of blood in the veins leading to fluid leaking out into the surrounding tissues.

Unfortunately, if this continues over many years the skin can become thickened, hard, red and inflamed, a condition known as lipodermatosclerosis.

Putting your legs up can help, as this can encourage blood to return to your heart, but for this to be effective your feet need to be above the level of your hips. So this means that merely putting them on a footstool isn’t good enough.

Exercise is also important, so try to walk for at least half an hour every day, and when you are resting, repeatedly flex your ankles to work your calf muscles.

Losing excess weight will help too. It is also important to look after your skin, as in this condition it can become very dry and any small crack in the surface can soon lead to an