Crow's Feet

Crow's feet are tiny wrinkles and lines that show up around the eye, starting at the outer corner of the eye. They appear like a many toed crow planted on the corner of the eye. Crow's feet start small and then tend to expand and deepen with age. Over a period of time, wrinkles may appear on other regions of the face including forehead and cheeks.

Causes for crow's feet

Crow's feet are clearly a sign of aging. Other than this, the most important cause of crow's feet is constant exposure to sunlight, which can age the skin and cause wrinkles around the face. The area around the eyes is very sensitive and the muscles are extremely thin. Therefore if you remain for long durations in sunlight without protecting the skin, the eyes will be the first one to suffer and crow's feet will appear sooner.

Lifestyle factors also contribute to developing crow's feet. Smoking is another risk factor that can lead to crow's feet. This is due to the fact that smokers tend to squint to protect their eyes from the irritants of smoke. Often sleeping on your face promotes the formation of Crow's feet.

Treatment of crow's feet

There are plenty of natural solutions that for the delicate part of the face, the eyes, from crow's feet. Adopting these natural measures can cure wrinkles and help eyes sparkle. As such, the skin around the eye is tender and prone to dehydration. To avoid dryness, it is essential to maintain moisture of the skin. Use moisturizing eye creams with the following essential components:

Almond oil and avocado oil, which are rich sources of vitamin E can nourish the skin. Apply the mixture of these oils gently on eyes and keep it for about 15 minutes. This can be done regularly before going to bed.

Citrus contains vitamin C and this plays a lead role in repairing skin wrinkles and creases. It not only reduces wrinkles but also fades them. Fresh orange and lemon can be readily used in treating wrinkles.

Castor oil and sesame oil works wonders in tackling crow's feet. These are popular moisturizing supplements.

The pure protein of the egg helps build up skin and banish crow's feet. Dab the skin around the outer corners with egg white and olive oil, being careful not to get it into your eyes. Leave on overnight for maximum benefit.

Some suggest that eating berries can prevent premature aging. Cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries contain antioxidants that are beneficial to the skin.

There are effective anti-aging skin creams that contain vitamins to help the skin appear younger by ironing away wrinkles. These could be used after consulting a cosmetologist. Other than natural remedies, there are a plethora of cosmetic options to effectively minimize crow's feet.

Botox is a modern way to turn the clock on fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. Botox works through a botulinum A based formula that effectively paralyzes the facial muscles that lead to wrinkles by blocking nerve impulses to the muscles. Botox can be used either alone or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures. Although results last for a number of months, it has to be repeated to maintain results. This procedure is minimally invasive and recovery time is also minimal.

Dermal fillers contain hyaluronic acid that plumps and smoothes the skin from inside. Although hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the skin, due to the aging process it turns deficient. Crow's feet require injection to the superficial dermis and discomfort and swelling are kept to the minimum. Results can be seen even within a few hours and can last typically for six to nine months.

Laser for crow's feet

Laser treatments for skin resurfacing remove the outer skin cells thereby leaving a softer, smoother complexion underneath. One of the most popular laser treatments for crow's feet is Fraxel, which is a non-ablative laser that causes less damage to the skin and less downtime for the patient.

Fraxel is approved by FDA for treating fine lines around the eyes. Laser treatments are conducted by using tropical anesthesia. The procedure takes less than 30 minutes. However, most patients would need about six Fraxel sessions, spaced out two to four weeks apart, to see optimal results. Repeat treatments are necessary to maintain results.

Thermage uses radio frequency device to resurface the skin without any invasive procedures or significant downtime. The layer of skin beneath the surface is heated by the tool and the stimulating production of collagen for a lighter, smoother appearance.

The procedure can be done in a doctor's office and the discomfort is very minimal, during and after the procedure. The result may last several years and thermage can also improve the appearance of the upper and lower eyelids.

There are several other skin resurfacing procedures that improve crow's feet such as chemical peels or microdermabrasion. Alphahydroxy acids used for light chemical peels are used to remove the outermost skin layers, for a softer, smoother complexion.

Microdermabrasion uses aluminum oxide crystals to sand off the outermost skin cells which can effectively reduce crow's feet. The results of these treatments are perpetuated with retinol-based topical cream application after the treatment.

Although there are many ways to turn back the clock on the eyes, much depends upon the patients' budget for customized treatment. Whether you choose injections or skin resurfacing treatments or just moisturizers to cream away the wrinkles, you can enjoy younger looking eyes with minimal discomfort and recovery time.

Preventing crow's feet

• Doctors recommend wearing a hat while in sun. Sunglasses help to avoid continuous gesture squinting through the hassle of the sun as squinting can deepen crow's feet. Wear sunglasses in winter and summer.
  
  
• Quit smoking to prevent further damage to your skin; not to mention other health benefits.
  
  
• Keep facial muscles toned with good moisturizers; especially use sunscreen around the eyes with a high SPF.
  
  
• Use an anti-aging serum infusing antioxidants and cell regeneration products.
  
  
• Encourage blood flow to the muscles in the forehead. One method is to massage the forehead from left to right with fingertips for about 30 seconds and then in circular motions for a further 30 seconds.
  
  
• Frowning and allowing forehead to become stressed and tired can cause crow's feet.
  
  
• Simple eye exercises can be done to eliminate crow's feet. Simply open and close the eyes and open them wide for 3 seconds and close them tight for another 3 seconds. Repeat ten times.
  
  
• Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. Moisture within the body not only plumps up the skin but also softens any lines on the face.

Crow's feet wrinkles

Surely, most women are distressed with the deep lines that appear on the outer corner of the eyes even in early 30s. This is long before you start exploring various anti aging options. Women may need to adopt lifestyle changes, eating healthy, drink plenty of water and try to be hydrated at all times - as this is one factor that prevents and delays the appearance of crow's feet.

Ironically, the number one enemy of crow's feet is the sun, although sun is healthy for you but in small doses and even then under protection. As such, spending a lot of time in the sun without having any solar protection can result in sunburns and older looking skin and even worse, different skin diseases.