Crow’s Feet Treatment in Southampton

What is Crow’s-feet? Why do Crow’s-feet appear? And how can you get rid of them or treat them as best as possible?

Crow’s-feet are the small group of wrinkles and lines that appear near the outer corner of the eyes. You may also hear people call them laughter lines. For many people, these are the first wrinkles to show on a person, and it is not uncommon for these wrinkles to start appearing during the 20’s.

Why are they called Crow’s-feet?

It’s because the wrinkles resemble the foot or footprint of a crow (or most birds for that matter). Imagine the heel of the crow at the outer corner of the eye with the toes pointing towards the back of the head.

Why do Crow’s-feet appear?

As with most lines and wrinkles, they appear because you’re making facial expressions such as squinting, frowning and smiling. When these are made repeatedly, the skin starts folding to enable the facial expression. Then every time you make these facial expressions, the skin folds in the same way. As this is done more and more often, these folds in the skin become more and more pronounced, and hence, wrinkles start to appear.

Aging is another factor that makes Crow’s Feet appear as more pronounced. This is because, with age, skin loses its firmness and elasticity because you lose what is called collagen and elastin. And also, skin cells divide less rapidly and frequently, so that the skin itself becomes thinner.

Smoking can also propel the formation of Crow’s Feet, and can do this in two ways: 1) the cigarette smoke contains many toxins that can damage the skin, and 2) many people also squint more when they smoke to avoid smoke entering the eyes. Also, in places that have very polluted air, you get similar consequences.

Sunshine will also normally contribute to Crow’s Feet. The sunshine, when it hits the skin, will normally break down collagen in your skin so it becomes less elastic. Also, when in the sun, many people also squint more to avoid pain in the eyes.

A poor diet will normally also cause more rapid development on Crow’s Feet. The reason is that when the skin does not receive the right nutrients for maintenance, the skin loses life, vitality, and wrinkles are more likely to show.

What is the best treatment for Crow’s Feet?

Formation of Crow’s Feet is caused by repeated folding of the skin around the outer corner of the eyes. Therefore, an effective treatment of Crow’s Feet is to prevent this folding. When this folding of the skin stops, further progression of the lines or wrinkles stop.

One effective treatment is Botox treatments (or other Botulinum). When Botox is injected into the skin, it relaxes the small facial muscles which stop these muscles from contracting. This will reduce further wrinkle formation.

In addition, after some time, the skin that is no longer contracting like before will see the existing lines and wrinkles start to fade.

However, in the case of severe Crow's Feet, there is another option. Severe Crow’s Feet can be treated with a dermal filler. A dermal filler will add volume to the skin underneath the wrinkles so that the skin pushes out and gets stretched. This will make the wrinkles fade and in some cases also go away completely.