Crow’s Feet – the causes and treatment

‘Crow’s Feet’ the causes and treatment

By Emily Ruse,  Deputy Registered Manager

Unfortunately, our eyes are often one of the very first areas which start to show the signs of ageing. The skin in this area is 40% thinner than the rest of our face, making it more delicate and prone to damage. While ‘crows’ feet’, AKA the fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area are normal, they’re also one of the most common ageing concerns. So, we have put together a quick guide to preventing and treating them…

A combination of loss of elasticity and collagen as we age as well as skin movement are the main causes of crow’s feet. As we age, our collagen and elastin levels naturally begin to drop, and sun damage, free radicals and hormone changes elevate this. On average, we blink 15-20 times a minute, that’s 20,000 times a day! But, blinking aside, all facial movements whether happy or sad, will eventually cause lines and wrinkles.

While, not blinking – and avoiding smiling isn’t an option, we can help to protect the area against environmental damage such as UV rays and pollution by using good quality antioxidant eye care and SPF.

So, what treatments help minimise crow’s feet?

Botox and fillers

This is a pretty obvious treatment as crow’s feet and wrinkles around the upper half of the face have been treated with Botox for years.

While Botox is very successful in smoothing the lines and wrinkles in this area, it doesn’t address the lack of collagen. Adding a little collagen into the skin using Dermal Filler injections will help minimise future signs of ageing too!

Skin tightening with HIFU

As well as injectables, the skin in this area can benefit massively from skin tightening treatments using machines such as HIFU which penetrate Ultrasound technology through multiple layers of the skin right down to the Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System (SMAS) layer which is located around 4.5mm beneath the dermis.

A treatment takes around just half an hour, is relatively pain-free and you can expect crow’s feet to look visibly reduced, softened and lifted. Improvements should show after one treatment, and normally take around 2-3 months to show.

Co2 Laser

For more serious skin tightening, you may consider laser. In particular, Co2 Laser because this is a resurfacing laser.

It allows for the production of brand-new skin which has more collagen and, more importantly, more elastin. The result is the rejuvenation of the skin on the eyelid and underneath the eyes.

Microneedling

Sitting between injectable and topical treatments which promise to counteract the visual effects of ageing lies micro-needling, the use of a handheld device which creates controlled skin injury.

When there is a small bit of bleeding, platelets leave the blood vessels and get exposed to the surrounding tissue. This causes a reaction whereby the platelets excrete hormones and growth factors which cause the stimulation of fibroblasts and other collagen-producing cells to start increasing their production. This, in turn, results in more elastic and rejuvenated skin.

Book a no-obligation consultation to discuss crow’s feet treatment and other aesthetic procedures with one of our practitioners

Call 01892 22 22 22