Aging is a natural process and we have to accept the fact that it’s also an unavoidable one. Crow’s feet, however, usually start appearing rather early in life, and affect men and women as early as their mid-20s. Crow’s feet, also known as character lines or laugh lines, are just fine lines and wrinkles that form around the outside corners of your eyes.
Their most common cause is aging. When the production of collagen and elastin is reduced, crow’s feet appear. However, they may also be caused by excessive exposure to sun, cold weather, or bad habits (like smoking or drinking). In other words, the less you take care of your skin, the higher the chance of having crows’ feet around your eyes.
If you’re looking for a way to rid your face of crow’s feet, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of methods to remedy those troublesome lines.
1 Botox
Using the muscles around your eyes deepens the crows’ feet, making them more pronounced. Every movement from smiling to squinting and laughing can make them worse, but you can’t avoid having facial expressions.
Some chemicals can be used as wrinkle removers to chemically force those muscles into a relaxed state. Botox is probably the most widely known of these substances. The botulinum toxin injection inhibit the contraction of facial expression muscles. This special wrinkle relaxer must be provided by a certified physician.
Botox treatment only takes a few minutes and is approved by the FDA, but beware! You need at least a week before the toxin can work on the dynamic lines and wrinkles, so be patient.
2 Dermal Fillers
Injectable dermal fillers are a simple and effective solution to smooth your skin and soften facial creases. They’re injected beneath your skin to fill the wrinkles with substances that lift your innermost layers of the subcutaneous tissues.
If you don’t want to resort to traditional botox, there are many other fillers available in the form of gels which contain natural substances found in your skin. These include hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxyapatite or collagen. There are also many other synthetic substances such as polylactic acid or polymethyl-methacrylate microspheres (PMMA) which can be used as less expensive alternatives.
Most of the fillers act as a temporary solution, as the skin slowly absorbs the injection over the course of some months. Others are more permanent, but come with their own risks. To find out what’s best for you, make an appointment with a cosmetic surgeon and get a consultation.
3 Antioxidant creams
Extreme weather, bad dietary habits, and pollution can damage your skin by exposing it to the nasty effects of free radicals. These destructive molecules might cause crow’s feet by degrading the substances that provide your epidermis with its natural firmness. These free radicals attack essential chemicals in your skin like collagen, ceramides and elastin.
Traditional over-the-counter moisturizing creams might help reduce the chance that wrinkles occurre by keeping your skin hydrated. However, they cannot restore the damage caused by free radicals. You should use specific creams and oils packed with antioxidants, a group of chemicals that counteract the action of the radicals. Creams with copper peptides, retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids are quite expensive, but they’re still cheaper than a full cosmetic surgery intervention.
4 Go Natural
If you’re a fan of natural remedies, there are quite a few substances that can help you fight against the free radicals just like the cosmetic antioxidant creams. There are many natural cosmetics available that can lend you a hand and save you move over traditional methods.
Argan oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil and apricot oil are among the most sought after ingredients found in these creams. However, you can take another step and go fully natural by making your own home-made remedies. Many ingredients used in those mixtures are easy to find like cow’s milk), Aloe Vera, and coconut oil.
Although these methods can help you get rid of those annoying crow’s feet, prevention is always your best friend. Since you cannot stop smiling (and even if you could, trust me, it’s not a good idea), try your best to take care of your skin and practice prevention when you can.. Oh, and if you don’t want to fight against them all over again, buy yourself a pair of nice sunglasses so you can stop squinting!