Crow’s Feet / Eye Wrinkles – Causes & Treatments

Eye wrinkles, or as they are commonly called, crow’s feet – are a type of wrinkle which begins to develop from the outside corner of your eye. They can start to develop quite early, often in your mid twenties. They usually develop slowly at first, but become more pronounced with age.

They are often one of the first signs of aging to develop on the face, and they can develop even sooner if you aren’t following a good skin care routine. There can also be a genetic component to the early onset of crow’s feet or wrinkles around the eye, in general.

Fortunately, if you are doing something to reduce these wrinkles in your twenties, then you have a big advantage. This is because they are easier to treat when you are younger, because there is still a higher amount of the Elastin protein remaining in your skin cells. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t treatable if you are older. It may take a little longer, and milder treatments may not be as effective.

It does mean you will need a stronger treatment if your eye wrinkles are already heavily developed. Simple moisturization won’t be effective – you will have to consider powerful anti wrinkle creams, surgical treatments, or Botox-like solutions.

The skin around your eyes lacks some of the natural protection as the skin on other areas of the face, simply because it has far fewer oil glands. This means the regular use of moisturizing products is an important aspect of reducing the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes.

Prevention

Like all wrinkles, crow’s feet develop due to a loss of Collagen and Elastin. The eye area also experiences a lot of movement due to facial expressions. There’s nothing you can do about this. Becoming expressionless really isn’t worthwhile or practical.

However, taking a few preventative measures to protect yourself from eye wrinkles, or at least slow the development of crow’s feet, can be very effective.

One thing you can do is to use a good quality moisturizer regularly.

You should also use sunscreen. A simple factor 15 sun protection can easily protect the skin around the eyes and slow the development of deeper wrinkles around the eyes. You should also wear sunglasses to avoid squinting, as this can make the wrinkles worse.

The UV rays of the sun can easily break down the Collagen and Elastin levels in your skin – so protecting yourself from direct exposure to sunlight can be beneficial, especially if you’re not wearing sunscreen at the time.

If you are a smoker, then it’s time to quit. Cigarette smoke can cause havoc with your skin, not to mention many other health problems. If you smoke, then quitting can be the best thing you can do for your skin, and it can also help you to avoid many other symptoms of accelerated aging.

It’s a good idea to be using a basic skin care routine to maintain the health and vitality of your skin. Use a gentle cleanser, a good moisturizer, and exfoliate your skin once a week.

Try to be aware of how your makeup interacts with your face. Many people can make their crow’s feet appear much worse, simply because their foundation cakes into the lines and wrinkles around their eyes.

Finally, make sure your diet includes plenty of Vitamins C, E, and A. These vitamins are important for your Collagen and Elastin levels, which will help to reduce the natural loss of Elastin from your skin. You can consider taking a multi-vitamin, or simply try to include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet which are high in these crucial vitamins.

Treatments

First, make sure you are using moisturizer. Dry skin will lead to more wrinkles, and it is easy for this area of the face to become dry. However, be careful about getting any product too close to your eyes, as it may cause irritation. You can also increase your hydration levels by making sure you are drinking plenty of water each day.

Botox Injections

The muscle relaxation caused by Botox or Dysport injections can relieve many of the wrinkles caused by the onset of crow’s feet. The appearance of the wrinkles will certainly be reduced by these treatments, but these injections can also leave you with restricted facial expressiveness.

It is also a temporary solution, as you will need to have repeated injections around every 6 months. The average cost of each treatment will usually be somewhere between $350 and $450. There are also numerous potential side effects that you will need to be aware of before settling on this treatment.

Although Botox injections can’t remove crow’s feet permanently – they can mask the worst signs of the problem.

Natural Home-Made Facial Masks

These facial masks are a popular treatment for wrinkles, crow’s feet, and dark under eye circles. Some of the common ingredients to try are: Cucumbers, egg whites, pineapple, and even mayonnaise.

For a small amount of money, you can also buy a basic facial mask for general skin care. These are applied to the skin, and usually peeled off around 30 minutes later. They can leave your skin feeling fresh and rejuvenated, and they may help to exfoliate your skin to some degree – but they rarely have a big effect on deeper wrinkles.

Dermal Filler Treatment

For deeper wrinkles, having filler injected under the skin is an effective treatment. They are often used when there is a lack of natural volume to the skin, usually caused by weight loss or a lack of Collagen in the skin. It is a quick and effective way to plump and firm the skin around your eyes. Commonly, Collagen is used as the filler, or Silicone.

Chemical Peels

For lower lid eye wrinkles, it is possible to have a light glycolic peel. This can be quite effective, but it isn’t always applicable to the entire crow’s feet area. Only very mild peels can be used in this area, since it is so close to the eye.

Laser Treatment

As with may types of facial wrinkle, laser technology has become a popular and effective treatment. It will usually involve using an ablative, fractionated co2 laser, which can treat the deeper layers of skin, without effecting the surface in a negative way. Again, this treatment is best used on the lower area of the eye.

Anti Wrinkle Creams

This can be a great option if you aren’t interested in any of the more invasive treatments. They can also be quite effective, especially on the finer lines and wrinkles which develop around the eye. You can also buy specialist wrinkle creams which are designed solely for the eye area. They tend to use milder formulas, which is perfect for sensitive skin.

However, it can be more economical to invest your money on a better quality multi-purpose anti wrinkle cream, such as LifeCell. This particular anti wrinkle cream can be used all over the face, and even your hands, so it may represent a better investment of your money.

Be careful about using any strong anti aging products near the eyes, especially products which use Retinol as the main active ingredient, as it can irritate the sensitive skin around the eye.

Above all, use an anti wrinkle cream that really works. Check the ingredients, and try to avoid marketing hype. With the right anti wrinkle cream, you can get great results – and even though the best creams are expensive, they are still far cheaper than Botox injections, fillers, or laser resurfacing treatment.