When you laugh or smile, are you bothered by wrinkles or lines that appear towards the outer corners of your eyes? These lines are to be expected as you age. In fact, they are so common that they’ve earned their own nickname: crow’s feet. Regardless of your opinion on crows, you probably don’t love seeing crow’s feet. They can age your appearance and make your complexion appear less refined. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to ease their appearance and also keep crow’s feet from worsening over the years.
How Crow’s Feet Develop
Crow’s feet are a normal part of aging, and almost everyone will eventually develop them to some degree. As you grow older, your skin begins producing less collagen and elastin. These two proteins are important for giving your skin its tone, tension, and elasticity. With less collagen and elastin present, your skin starts to thin, sag, and wrinkle. Crow’s feet are one type of wrinkle that almost everyone develops because of the way the human face moves and is shaped.
Crow’s feet are what’s known as dynamic wrinkles. In other words, they become more apparent when you use move your face and use your facial muscles. People often start noticing crow’s feet in their 30s. By the time you’re in your 50s, it’s not unusual to see mild crow’s feet even when you’re not smiling or laughing.
Lifestyle Changes to Help Prevent Crow’s Feet
There is no way to 100% prevent crow’s feet, but there are some lifestyle changes you can make to help minimize them and keep them from deepening.
- Control Stress
Stress can cause you to frown and scowl more often, which can worsen crow’s feet. Keep your stress under control with habits like yoga, meditation, and a healthy exercise routine. - Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods
Antioxidant-rich foods like fruits and vegetables give your skin the nutrients it needs to fight age and sun-related damage that can worsen crow’s feet. - Wear Sunglasses
Sunglasses protect the skin around your eyes from UV damage, which can worsen crow’s feet.
Exfoliating Treatments for Crow’s Feet
When crow’s feet are minor and still developing, a good exfoliating treatment can help ease their appearance. Exfoliation removes dead, dull skin cells from the surface of your skin, which can make fine lines, including crow’s feet, less obvious.
Balance MedSpa offers a few different exfoliating treatments, including the following:
Custom Chemical Peels
A chemical peel involves the application of a specialized, chemical solution to your face. Your practitioner will choose the solution and strength that best fits your skin type and key concerns. After a few minutes, the solution is rinsed away. Your skin is left smoother with a healthy glow and fewer fine lines, such as crow’s feet.
Dermaplaning
Dermaplaning is a procedure by which your practitioner uses a blade-like instrument to scrape away the fine hairs and dead skin cells on the outer surface of your skin. It leaves your skin looking brighter and smoother overall. Dermaplaning is a good choice if you’re concerned not only about crow’s feet, but also fine lines and a dulling complexion, in general. Patients with really sensitive skin often prefer dermaplaning to a chemical peel.
Botox and Injectables for Crow’s Feet
If your crow’s feet are a little deeper and more noticeable, you may want to go one step further than exfoliation and instead opt for injectables, such as dermal fillers or neurotoxins. Our practitioners can look over your skin, talk to you about your goals, and guide you as to which option is best in your case.
Dermal Fillers
Fillers are injectables that physically add volume to your skin. By increasing your skin’s fullness, they make crow’s feet and other wrinkles much less noticeable. Fillers essentially replace the collagen that your skin has lost over time. The results can last up to 12 months, and sometimes even longer.
Neurotoxins
Neurotoxins are injected into your skin like dermal fillers, but they work quite differently from fillers. The best-known neurotoxin is Botox, which is still what we recommend for many patients with crow’s feet. When injected, Botox paralyzes the tiny muscles underneath your skin. This greatly reduces the appearance of dynamic wrinkles, including crow’s feet. Botox typically lasts about 3 to 6 months. Patients often find that each subsequent Botox treatment lasts a bit longer than the previous one.
If you’re bothered by crow’s feet, schedule a consultation with Balance MedSpa. Our kind and experienced practitioners will assess your needs and create a customized treatment plan just for you. Whether you opt for Botox, dermal fillers, or a chemical peel, you’ll leave looking your best.
