Crow’s feet are one of the ...

Crow’s feet are one of the earliest signs of facial aging to appear. Crows feet, also called laugh lines, are actually a natural phenomenon of aging. Anyone over their mid-twenties can expect to show tell tale signs of these little lines appearing at the corner of their eyes. The upper third of the face comprising of the eyes, forehead and eye brows, is the first area in which the earliest signs of aging become apparent. The most expressive area of our face- our eyes- no doubt give tons of justice to the phrase ‘the eyes are the windows to our souls’. Yet it is this expressiveness which also makes the crow’s feet so apparent. These little lines are not something many people laugh about- it’s one of the first wrinkles on the face to appear, and every facial expression just makes them more obvious and cosmetically unacceptable!

Crows feet, like other wrinkles on our face, appear as we age as the skin’s collagen production naturally declines over time, and the elastin breaks down as well. Environmental factors such as ultraviolet sun exposure, squinting and smoking hasten this decline. The skin around the eye is the thinnest and most fragile in the face, so lines in this area are the first to appear.

So take action now! Although it is not possible to eliminate them completely, if you don’t smoke, squint or tan, you can reduce the number of crows feet forming. And the sooner you take steps to prevent it, the fewer the volume of lines. But read on for tips to minimize the appearance of crows feet.

HOME TREATMENTS

• Reduce sun exposure, wear hats and sunglasses, and include sunscreen around the eye. Remember to reapply every few hours!
• Stop smoking
• Avoid squinting
• Adequate hydration to moisten the skin is important. Parched skin assists wrinkle formation!
• Massage your eye area to reduce puffiness.
• Flaxseed oil supplements
• Eye treatments:
  • Papaya. Rub a slice of fresh papaya along the wrinkles and allow the juice to penetrate for 15 to 20minutes, then rinse off and pat dry. Interesting fact: papaya contains a substance called papain which stimulates skin collagen production and gently exfoliates dead skin cells as well.
  • Egg white. Use a cotton ball to swab egg white over your face and eyes as a facial mask. Leave on for about 15 minutes while the egg dries. Then wash your face and pat dry.
• Vitamin E oils. You can buy capsules of Vitamin E from the local pharmacy. Use a sharp needle to poke a hole into the capsule and squeeze out the contents and dab it onto the wrinkles around the eye. Use one capsule per eye. (I read this somewhere, but have not tried it myself. But it sure sounds interesting!) Vitamin E is a great anti-oxidant and used in many eye creams and rejuvenating treatments!

MAKEUP AND SKINCARE TIPS

• Use a gentle cleanser. Massage it in and avoid pulling the skin around the eye.
• Apply eye creams and moisturizers twice a day- after you get up from bed and at night before bed again. Moisturizing eye creams help add moisture and hydrate the skin. Note that night creams are much thicker, and are inappropriate for daytime wear.
• Choose eye creams containing glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is a group of alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) that encourage old skin cells to drop off and newer ones to replace them. However, not many cosmetic eye creams contain glycolic acid. Try Murad Intensive Wrinkle Reducer For Eyes ($90), or Neostrata’s Ultra Daytime Smoothing Cream. DO NOT use high strength skin lotions with glycolic acid (more than 10% strength formulated for use on the face and neck) around your eyes without dermatologist supervision as glycolic acid products can sting and burn the skin, especially so for the delicate skin around the eye. 5% strength or less is usually safe for personal home use.
• A list of most effective eye creams is also ranked by Consumer Health Digest which “scrutinized the most currently marketed eye treatments and distilled the most current scientific research in order to assess which eye cream treatments were most effective.” At the top of the list were Eyevive  by Dermestetics,  Restoration Eye Return by Z. Bigatti, and Peter Thomas Roth’s Power K Eye Rescue.
• Include SPF in your eye cream to reduce the effect of sun exposure on your skin.
• Be careful with application of foundation and concealer. Too heavy applications actually accentuate fine lines and deepen them.

WHAT YOUR DOCTOR CAN DO FOR YOU

• Botox. This little injection will paralyze the muscles around the eyes, and reduce the wrinkling around the eyes. Be forewarned though, the effects are only temporary and repeated injections will be required in a few months.
• Collagen Injections. These are injections using purified bovine (derived from cows) collagen. As with botox, these are also temporary measures. Also, the face may become puffy for the next couple of days as the collagen gets absorbed under the skin.
• Chemical Peels. Peels ‘burn’ away the surface layer of the dead and dull skin and encourages the underlying newer younger skin to replace it. The chemicals used are usually alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and trichloracetic acids (TCAs). Glycolic acid (a type of AHA) peels are a popular dermatologist office peel. In severe cases, it can be applied under medical supervision weekly initially. The advantage of such peels is that there is no need for injections into the skin. However, AHA peels can sting and burn the skin.
• Microdermabrasion. This method removes the surface layer of dead skin cells as well. Unlike peels, this uses mechanical methods to remove the top layer of skin. Microdermabrasion has aluminium oxide crystals blown onto and off the skin by a steady stream of air. Dermabrasion is a little rougher, using a brush to resurface.
• Laser Resurfacing.
• Thermage. Non-invasive method of skin rejuvenation.

Ultimately, prevention is the best cure. So the most important factors to prevent are sun exposure, smoking and squinting. Once present, they’re determined to stay. All creams and the best  medical treatments cannot erase all lines that have formed.