How To Prevent And Treat Crow’s Feet

The first and earliest signs of aging for both men and women usually appear on the face.

Your face is the body part that is most exposed to the elements and your environment so it makes perfect sense that things like fine lines and creases start to appear there before anywhere else. Also, the delicate skin around your eyes is particularly thin and so is more vulnerable to premature aging.

Wrinkles can occur pretty much anywhere on the face where there are muscles that have been working hard and moving around for your entire life. Though this is, of course, an inevitable and natural part of the aging process, that does not mean that you have to accept your fate and live the rest of your life with undesirable features like dead skin, dark circles, poor skin elasticity, the appearance of wrinkles and more!

One of the most common signs of aging and forms of facial wrinkles is the appearance of crow’s feet. Though they may be thought of as something inevitable that you just have to accept, they can affect your self-confidence and overall wellness. There are measures you can take to prevent their early onset and also ways to treat them once they appear.

What Are Crow’s Feet?

Crow’s feet is the term that is given to the fine lines and creases that begin to appear around your eye area, particularly starting from the corners of your eyes.

They splay out from the corner in a formation that resembles the foot of a crow, hence the name.

Crow’s feet are sometimes referred to as smile lines because they are the creases that form when we grin.

What Is The Cause Of Crow’s Feet?

Crow’s feet are known as smile lines because it is smiling that is their primary cause. Lines/creases form at the outer corners of the eyes as the result of years and years of smiling and laughing. These actions are intense muscle contractions around the delicate eye area.

Added to this, as we age, elastin and collagen production reduces and this means that the facial expressions encouraging the creasing are not able to bounce back into youthful shape like they might have done in your younger years.

Another factor that contributes to the growth and emphasis of crow’s feet is sun damage. Prolonged sun exposure is a surefire way to enable UV rays to kill skin cells on your face and ruin any decent skincare routine you may be following.

How Can You Prevent Crow’s Feet?

If you don’t yet have any crow’s feet, it’s not an unreasonable question to ask if there are steps you can take to prevent them or at least delay them. By preventing crow’s feet, you need not worry about treatment options for hopefully a long time. Here are some of the most popular ways to prevent crow’s feet:

Address Any Unnecessary Causes Of Excessive Expression!

There is nobody in the world who would want another person to stop smiling or laughing, but if you are concerned at the rate your crow’s feet might appear, then something that you could consider is trying to highlight regular times or situations in your schedule that might encourage you to be more expressive than others! Attending sports games and shouting/emoting for hours, for example, can be a catalyst for early crow’s feet. If you want to be preventative, try to control these emotions!

Maintain a Good Diet And Regular Hydration

Your skin will thrive if you commit to keeping to a healthy, balanced diet. Focus on foods that are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C and choose lean protein. These nutrients are the key to keeping as much life and elasticity in your skin for as long as possible.

There are countless links between a bad diet and bad skin, so do more for yourself than just staying fit by eating well.

Quit Smoking And Restrict Alcohol Intake

Nicotine is one of the leading causes of reduced collagen in the body, and the less collagen you have, the more susceptible your skin will be to crow’s feet. Cigarette smoking can also have very irritating and drying effects on the skin around your mouth and eyes. The sooner you can kick the habit of smoking, the better your skin will be into middle and old age.

Similarly, drinking too much alcohol can have a dehydrating and damaging effect on your skin. If you do want to have the occasional drink, then a small glass of red wine is always a good choice thanks to the high levels of antioxidants.

Avoid The Sun As Much As You Can

Of all the factors that can damage the skin or promote skin aging, sun exposure is the worst. It is best to avoid direct exposure but that isn’t always practical, especially in summer or all-year-round warmer climates.

There is one essential rule that isn’t just for preventing crow’s feet but is also about overall skin protection and that is to never go outside without wearing sunscreen. A topical application of SPF 15 is the absolute minimum for darker skins that tan easily but experts in dermatology recommend the topical application of a moisturizing SPF 30 lotion/cream/spray.

You should also note that you should wear sunscreen every time you go outside even when the sun isn’t shining because the harmful UV rays penetrate clouds.

Be sure to choose a sunscreen with a high enough SPF and also a formula that is right for your skin type. It is worth doing a little research about key ingredients because things like vitamins react differently in the sun. For example, vitamin A is under recent scrutiny as to whether it is effective in sunscreens or harmful. 

If you want to avoid crow’s feet for as long as you can, you need to wear sunscreen, there is no getting around it!

Maintain A Good Sleep Schedule

Make sure that you get a good night’s sleep as often as you can. Having a bad sleeping schedule or poor quality sleep will make your skin dull, puffy, and ultimately damaged. The better quality sleep you can get, the longer the crow’s feet will stay away.

How Can You Treat Crow’s Feet?

If you have unfortunately passed the preventative stage and already have crow’s feet, there are still measures you can take. Without further ado, here are some dermatologist-approved tips for what you can do to treat crow’s feet and hopefully reverse some of the worst signs of the aging process!

Skincare Products

Look on the shelves at any supermarket or pharmacy and you will notice that more than half of the skincare products are dedicated to anti-aging.

If you aren’t ready to go down the surgical route, then things like serums and eye creams are going to be your best friend. You should look for products that are packed full of vitamins, and that can also provide a level of exfoliation that will remove the top layer of dead skin cells to reveal brighter, more vibrant skin underneath.

Any cream containing the magic ingredient of retinol is ideal, as it is an ingredient that can treat a myriad of different skin complaints and conditions. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that retinoids can increase skin turnover, which in turn will help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Remember, when it comes to skin care products, medical grade will always be more effective than standard over the counter products found at drug stores or places like Sephora.

Cosmetic Procedures

There is a range of cosmetic treatments that are recommended for the treatment of crow’s feet, both invasive and non-invasive.

Non-invasive treatments include chemical peels that refresh the skin and get rid of damaging free radicals. There is also the process of microneedling which works by making very small holes in the skin to put the recovery process into overdrive and produce more glowing, healthy skin across your face.

A more effective way to treat the crow’s feet muscle activity is Botox, which is among the most popular treatments. A safe formulation of botulinum toxin is injected into the area of crow’s feet to reduce and inhibit the movement of the muscles in the area.

Dermal fillers are another injectable treatment. In this procedure, a hyaluronic acid-based solution is injected into the targeted area to add volume and structure, plumping and lifting the skin to compensate for lost collagen. where it has been lost as a result of natural aging.

If you want a technological solution, there is laser resurfacing. A laser wand is used to heat up several layers of skin to promote collagen production. It also tightens the skin but may not completely eliminate crow’s feet so sometimes it is combined with another treatment such as Botox or dermal fillers.

The most common form of cosmetic surgery for crow’s feet is a blepharoplasty. This procedure reshapes the eyelids, tightening the skin to reverse the signs of aging. The surgery can be carried out on the upper or lower eyelids or both. A full facelift will also cure crow’s feet but of course, this treats the whole face.

If you want to get rid of crow’s feet, it is best to seek professional advice. Z Center for Cosmetic Health professionals will assess how deep the furrows are and advise on the best treatment options, as well as the next steps towards the procedure. Contact us for a consultation today!