Getting Rid of Crow’s Feet

They are variously referred to as “smile lines,” “laugh lines” and “character lines” and are a normal part of aging. In their mid-20’s most people will begin to notice “crow’s feet,” those small, initially faint lines or wrinkles at the outside corners of their eyes. They are often the first indication that you really won’t look 18 forever, and getting rid of crow’s feet will most likely increase in importance as the years go by.

Crow’s feet are usually among the first wrinkles to become visible. Years of facial muscle movements – everything from laughing and crying to squinting – and the natural effects of the environment create these dreaded facial wrinkle lines. For various reasons, from sun and wind to the gradual effects of aging, our skin begins to lose its elasticity. Collagen, which imbues skin with its resilience and “stretchability,” breaks down and gradually loses its effectiveness.

It is important to remember that both environmental and behavioral factors can help or hinder the skin’s retention of collagen, so getting rid of crow’s feet may require some lifestyle changes. The sun’s ultraviolet light causes the breakdown of collagen, while smoking has been shown to accelerate the aging process of skin, too. Therefore, two of the most common causes of crow’s feet, smoking and exposure to the sun, can be reduced or eliminated with behavioral changes.

Topical skin care product treatments to the skin can augment the skin’s own healing properties, so using a lotion or cream that contains glycolic acid will help the skin to shed old skin cells. As old cells are removed, new ones are then able to take their place. Your success in getting rid of crow’s feet is at least partly dependent on your understanding the condition, and learning how the treatments work.

Curative injections

There are various injectable treatments recommended for getting rid of crow’s feet. One method, popularized by celebrities, is botulinum toxin injections, often called Botox (although that is a trademarked name and not a generic term). Injections of this substance temporarily relax the muscles around the eyes, keeping the skin from wrinkling. Of course, a few months down the line more Botox injections will be necessary to “unwrinkle” the skin once again.

Collagen is also injected into the skin to replace what is lost through normal aging and restore a degree of elasticity to the skin. The collagen used for this purpose is a purified bovine extraction, meaning it comes from cows. Like Botox, these injections result in only temporary improvement, and for several days after the procedure the patient’s face will swell up because of the collagen deposited under the skin. Getting rid of crow’s feet does involve some discomfort, although it is usually minor.

Better living through chemistry

Crow’s feet are also removed or minimized with a “chemical peel,” where a moderately acidic substance is applied to the face to “burn off” the top layer of skin. This encourages newer, more elastic skin to form in its place. The most common chemicals used for getting rid of crow’s feet are phenol, trichloracetic acid (TCA) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s).

Alpha hydroxy acids (usually fruit acids and glycolic acids) are most commonly used in the gentler treatments. Chemical peels done with AHA’s may produce somewhat “brighter colored” skin and aid in making the skin smoother, particularly when one is getting rid of fine-lined crow’s feet. More thorough chemical peels are accomplished with trichloracetic acid, but as with glycolic acids multiple applications may be required for the desired result.

Phenol is the strongest chemical peel for getting rid of deep crow’s feet. Great care must be exercised as phenol can permanently alter the pigment of the skin. Following a phenol peel it is necessary to shield the skin from the sun to prevent additional damage.

Abrasion methods and lasers

There are still other methods for getting rid of crow’s feet. Common “abrasive” treatments – microdermabrasion, dermabrasion and lasers – remove the top layer of skin through their own specific techniques.

In microdermabrasion, aluminum oxide or similar chemicals are blown across the skin surface to “exfoliate” it (remove old cells) while the standard dermabrasion technique “scrapes” off the old cells with what amounts to a wire brush. Laser resurfacing, as the name indicates, uses a medical laser to burn away the skin’s top layer. Each of these treatments will allow new, undamaged skin cells to grow and “resurface” the treated areas.