Crow’s feet are those tiny, fine lines that extend from the corners of your eyes. These wrinkles are often the first signs of aging and can form as early as your 30s, and most of us really just don’t like them. Crow’s feet are dynamic wrinkles, which means they are noticeable when the muscles in your face contract, such as when you smile or squint. Below you will find five common causes of crow’s feet, as well as some ways of minimizing their appearance.
Causes of Crow’s Feet
Though age tends to be the dominant factor in causing crow’s feet, there are many other factors that cause them. The five factors below are lesser known causes of crow’s feet.
1. Squinting — Crow’s feet can be caused by squinting because of the numerous contractions of muscles around the eyes. When you squint or squeeze your eyes tight, the muscles around the eyes contract. This contraction forms wrinkles from the corner of the eyes to the temples.
2. Smoking — Smoking causes crow’s feet wrinkles by damaging elastin fibers and collagen production through the deprivation of blood and oxygen to the skin. It also exacerbates these wrinkles because you often squint to keep the smoke out of our eyes.
3. Sleeping position — The way you sleep can be a causes crow’s feet. By habitually sleeping on your side, these lines and wrinkles can appear.
4. Sunlight — Exposure to sunlight can create crow’s feet due to photo aging. Sun can cause early wrinkles, through the harmful UV rays that cause wrinkles, as well as squinting which may occur when you are out in the sun.
5. Free Radicals — The skin contains free radicals that can damage DNA cells and lead to aging. Mainly, sunlight exposure causes an increase in these free radicals, causing them to do skin damage.
Preventing and Minimizing the Look of Crow’s Feet
To help prevent crow’s feet there are a few things you can do. First, when out in the sun, use a broad spectrum sunscreen to help prevent sun damage. Follow a gentle skincare routine that includes products that contain skin-repairing ingredients, anti-oxidants and other anti-aging ingredients. While moisturizers can usually help plump up fine lines, crow’s feet are deeper, so may not respond well to general moisturizers. There are several over-the-counter creams that have more potent plumping ingredients that are designed to improve the appearance of crow’s feet.
Botox and Other Procedures for Crow’s Feet
Injectables such as Botox and Dysport have been proven to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet. Additionally, microdermabrasion and chemical peels can also help. Says Dr. Thomas Wright of Laser Lipo and Vein Center, “At our Center, we have several effective treatments and procedures that can help reduce the overall appearance of crow’s feet.” If you are interested in learning more about getting rid of those crow’s feet or other wonderful anti-aging treatments, please call us today to schedule a no-cost consultation.
