Aging has different ways of announcing itself, but one of the ways we most associate with this natural process is the appearance of wrinkles, in all their varieties.
Crow’s feet, which appear around the eyes, are a type of wrinkles that are evidence of aging. It is very difficult to prevent them due to their cause of appearance, but they can be reduced or disguised.
What are crow’s feet?
Crow’s feet are a type of wrinkle that appears around the eyes as a result of repeated contraction of the facial muscles. Thus, when smiling or, for example, expressing surprise with the gaze, the skin reproduces this gesture.
By the way, crow’s feet are so called because of their similarity to crow’s feet. If you notice, the wrinkles that appear on the outside of the eye resemble the toes of a crow’s foot.
Why do crow’s feet appear?
Although their origin is repeated facial movements, it is the passage of time that makes them evident. Gravity does its work and together with the loss of collagen and elastin, the skin loses elasticity and firmness, so that wrinkles are not only seen when making these movements, but permanently.
Smiling, squinting, raising the eyebrows and winking are the movements that end up shaping crow’s feet.
As if that were not enough, the area around the eyes has a lower amount of collagen and elastin, so it breaks down sooner than other parts of the face. That’s why crow’s feet are such an obvious symbol of aging.
Another possible reason for the appearance of crow’s feet is genetics. As it is something we have written in our genetic code, there is no way to prevent its appearance. However, skin care can prevent its early appearance.
These are the direct movements for the appearance of crow’s feet, but there are agents that if we do not avoid them, can cause an early appearance of these wrinkles.
Sun exposure is the first cause, as they damage the skin and cause photoaging. Stress affects overall health, resulting in duller skin that drifts over the years. Smoking and an unhealthy diet also accelerate the process.
How to remove crow’s feet
By now, you’re probably already suspecting which way to go to eliminate crow’s feet. The truth is that the solution is very similar to how we would act with other types of wrinkles, although as you will now see there are products and treatments aimed specifically at treating this area of the face.
Anti-crow’s feet basic products
Everyone should perform a daily hygiene protocol to provide, at the very least, extra hydration to the skin to help with the loss it suffers over the years and thus maintain elasticity.
Some homemade solutions to work on moisturizing the eye area include aloe vera, honey or cucumber. You can find recipes on the Internet. But beware of hoaxes or fake influencers.
Finally, oils such as coconut, olive or almond oil have antioxidant and emollient properties, which help the skin to slow down the appearance of wrinkles.
Creams for crow’s feet
In the use of cosmetic creams, the purpose is the same as for any other wrinkle. We can use creams that moisturize the skin. And combine with retinoids, which stimulate collagen production and cell renewal.
Peptides help repair the skin and improve its firmness. Antioxidant ingredients such as vitamin C and E protect the skin from free radical damage.
Cosmetic treatments for crow’s feet
Finally, as a further step to make crow’s feet disappear, there are currently very effective medical-aesthetic treatments.
- Dermal fillers are very effective in hiding wrinkles. Small injections are performed in the areas to be treated to recover lost firmness and volume. It depends on each case, but the most commonly used are hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxyapatite.
- Another method similar to dermal filler, although it does not produce the same effect, is Botox. By means of botulinum toxin we manage to relax the muscles that cause wrinkles, so that these are produced.
Both Botox and dermal fillers have an immediate effect, but it is not permanent, as it is absorbed by the body. When this happens, wrinkles become visible again and the treatment should be repeated.
- With chemical peels and microdermabrasion, we can improve skin texture and reduce superficial wrinkles. The skin is exfoliated and renewed.
If we focus on treatments with appliances, the most effective are facial radiofrequency and transdermal electroporation.
- With facial radiofrequency we can revitalize the skin, recover firmness and tone around the eyes. The heat caused by the radiofrequency stimulates the production of collagen and, in this way, we activate a whole process that manages to restore tension to the skin.
- Electroporation, on the other hand, slows down aging. Because it acts at different levels of the skin, it not only produces a superficial effect, but also achieves a Botox effect, smoothing fine lines around the eyes and lifting the skin tone.
Is crow’s feet the same as expression lines?
This is a fairly recurrent question and the answer is no, although they are closely related.
In reality, crow’s feet are expression lines that form around the eyes. They are distinguished by their arrangement on the face, with a pattern extending from the outer part of the eye toward the temple.
Expression lines are wrinkles that appear on the face due to repeated contractions of the facial muscles, caused by actions such as smiling, frowning, talking or squinting.
