How to improve crow’s feet around the eyes

It’s no secret that our eyes are one of the first areas to show the signs of ageing. The skin in this area is finer and dryer than elsewhere on the face, and fine, dry skin is quick to wrinkle.  Also commonly referred to as ‘laughter lines’, crow’s feet lines are a sign of a life well-lived, but they’re also one of the most common ageing concerns. If you’d like to minimise their appearance, we have broken down everything you need to know about preventing and reducing them.

What causes lines around the eyes?

Crow’s feet lines are the result of a loss of elasticity and collagen, as well as frequent movements caused by expressions like smiling and laughing. Free radical formation, sun exposure, the natural downward effects of gravity, and a genetic pre-disposition can also accelerate the forming of these lines around our eyes.

The skin around our eyes is 40% thinner than the rest of our faces, making this skin delicate and extremely vulnerable to the effects of ageing. They can make us not only look aged, sometimes beyond our years but also tired and drained.

Can you prevent them?

Since these lines are mainly caused by facial expressions and a loss of collagen and elasticity, wrinkles will eventually form as we age. However, there are things we can do to keep skin smoother for longer. Protecting the skin from UV damage is the number one way to prevent signs of ageing in general and the eye area is particularly vulnerable to ageing. Protect your eye area like you do your face, with SPF every day, and you’ll see fewer fine lines, wrinkles, and dark circles over time. Make sure your sunglasses come with UV protection and keep hydrated.

How to minimise crow’s feet

Botox

Botox works by blocking the chemical needed for muscle contraction. When treating the eyes, we may inject the outer corners of the eyes, but some patients also benefit from a tiny amount injected in the muscle band below each eye. By stopping the muscle contraction, the creases and wrinkles temporarily disappear. Botox can deliver very subtle, natural results and lasts up to four months.

Fillers 

Fillers can be used in the under-eye area to fill in hollows and lessen shadows as well as in the outer eye area, to restore volume and plump out crow’s feet lines. They have a long-term collagen stimulating effect to provide additional support and strength over time.

Microneedling

Microneedling is another effective way to counteract the visual effects of ageing. It’s a minimally invasive technique that boosts your skin’s production of collagen and elastin. A microneedling pen makes thousands of tiny needle punctures in the outermost layers of the skin and stimulates your body to make more collagen in the area. In turn, this leads to smoother, firmer and brighter skin.

Venus Viva

Venus Viva is designed to re-surface and rejuvenate ageing skin, smoothing out lines and wrinkles and improving elasticity and overall tone and texture. Venus Viva technology delivers radio frequency waves deep into the dermis to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, effectively smoothing and plumping lines and wrinkles around the eyes. 

Can skincare help?

The right skincare can be really helpful for the eye area. The skin here is delicate, so you don’t want to overload it with rich, oily creams, nor do you want to traumatise it with ingredients that are too hardcore. It’s well-worth investing in a good-quality, targeted eye cream. The SkinBetter Science EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream contains a patented combination of a retinoid and an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), in an optimized formulation to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area.

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