The name derives from the characteristic shape of real crow’s feet, but it is by no means negative – quite the opposite: smile lines make a face appear livelier. They reflect sincere emotions such as humor and joie de vivre. That automatically makes people more likeable when they laugh and the little wrinkles around their eyes come to the fore. And even with a relaxed facial expression, crow’s feet make us look more human. Nevertheless, not everyone is grateful when the first permanent wrinkles appear in the eyes, as they are also a sign of the natural aging of the skin. For this reason, various ways to prevent crow’s feet are presented below. And which cosmetic treatment methods are currently available.
It is well known that crow’s feet are a sign of aging. But how and why do they actually arise at this point? The explanation is very simple: Our skin loses elasticity with each passing year. In addition, it is particularly thin around the eyes and has few fat deposits. However, the muscles underneath are particularly active – triggered by laughing, blinking and squinting when we are blinded, for example. All this, coupled with other influences such as UV rays, stress, lack of sleep, exhaust fumes or nicotine, makes our skin particularly susceptible to small wrinkles around the eyes. The good news is, you can prevent crow’s feet with proper skin care and a healthy lifestyle. You can read more about this in the next paragraph.
As already mentioned, the skin around the eyes is thinner and therefore more prone to expression lines. Therefore, you should pay more attention to it in your daily facial care with the right eye cream. This provides your skin with an extra portion of moisture and can protect it from the sun’s rays with additional UV protection. Furthermore, when buying care products for the eyes, you can look out for the following active ingredients that are intended to counteract crow’s feet:
active ingredient
eye care
Hyaluronic Acid:
It is considered a miracle weapon against wrinkles: hyaluronic acid provides the skin with a lot of moisture and is said to counteract natural skin aging. It is available as a cream, concentrate or serum.
Retinol:
Retinol is also a popular ingredient to counteract crow’s feet. It comes as a high-dose serum, but it can irritate the skin around the eyes. A suitable eye cream is the better choice here.
Vitamin C and E:
Vitamin A is particularly suitable for mature skin, but vitamin C and vitamin E also have an antioxidant effect and are intended to prevent wrinkles around the eyes. The two active ingredients are contained in various creams.
Collagen:
Normally, the natural active ingredient ensures the elasticity of the skin, but is broken down with age. For this reason, you should be able to replenish the sinking collagen storage with an eye cream.
Coenzym Q10:
This active ingredient should also protect your skin from laugh lines, which are very pronounced with age.Q10 can be found in suitable care products and numerous eye creams for normal and mature skin.
1. MicroneedlingThis procedure is mainly offered by dermatologists, but also in some beauty salons: Microneedling uses a so-called derma roller, which looks like a small roller with fine needles, or a microneedling pen. This is rolled over the face in a targeted manner in order to minimally injure the skin so that it produces more hyaluronic acid, elastin and collagen – the skin’s own active ingredients which (as described above) are responsible for the skin’s elasticity and can therefore reduce crow’s feet. In addition, your face should absorb care products and active ingredients more specifically through this procedure. However, this procedure also has side effects such as small swellings or bruises. In addition, microneedling is not exactly cheap: the treatment costs between 200 and 300 euros on average. However, there are now derma rollers for private use that are significantly cheaper.
2. Botox
For many years, Botox has been considered a quick and easy solution to wrinkles – and thus also to crow’s feet. The so-called botulinum toxin is injected into the facial muscles so that they become rigid and wrinkles in the eyes are “ironed out”. For this reason, this procedure is also performed on forehead and frown lines or small wrinkles around the mouth. Depending on the doctor treating you, the average cost is around 200 euros. However, the effect only lasts between six and twelve months. In addition, Botox is said to remove the human features from its patients’ faces. Therefore, you should think carefully in advance whether this procedure is an option for you.
3. Hyaluronic Acid
Not only Botox, but also hyaluronic acid gel can be injected into the face to make crow’s feet disappear. However, not in the muscle, but directly under the skin. This makes it appear plumper and rosier, so that small wrinkles around the eyes disappear immediately. The advantage of this procedure is that the facial expressions are not as rigid as with a Botox injection. Nevertheless, these treatments also involve risks such as swelling. It is all the more important that you only have this method performed by a real dermatologist – and that you are willing to pay the 300 euros for it. And that once or twice a year, because the effect does not last longer. Because the hyaluronic acid is naturally broken down by the body over time. A serum would be the cheaper choice here.
To avoid getting permanent crow’s feet on your face in the first place, you can heed the following tips:
Provide your skin with sufficient moisture, from the outside and from the inside: Drink at least two liters of water or unsweetened tea throughout the day – your body will thank you in the long term.
Make sure you eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet: stimulants such as alcohol and nicotine cause your skin to age faster, so you should avoid them or only enjoy them in moderation.
Extreme sunbathing not only accelerates the natural aging of the skin, but can also promote skin cancer. Therefore, always make sure you have adequate UV protection – also in your everyday life, i.e. in the day cream.
So-called eye pads have a cooling effect and not only help against tired or swollen eyes, but also against crow’s feet. They contain valuable ingredients that are intended to reduce small wrinkles.
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