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Crows feet, as you may already know, are the lines that extend out from the corners of your eyes. The official name for these lines are lateral canthus rhytids. As this is a bit of a mouthful, lets stick to calling them crow’s feet. Some people love them, but most people are not too keen on these lines and wrinkles. So, what causes them, and more importantly, how do you get rid of them?Crows feet are caused by the contraction of the orbicularis oculi (OO) muscle. This is the band of muscle that surrounds the eyes and is responsible for winking and squinting. When the muscle is used over and over again, the skin that sits over this muscle becomes more lined and wrinkled.
When we are younger, this doesn’t really cause any issues as skin has good bounce back capability. With the march of time however, the crows feet that you can see when you wink or squint, actually stays put even when the muscle isn’t contracting. The lines are then no longer just temporary but develop into static lines that never seem to go away. They can even start to extend right down towards your cheeks.
Now you know what causes crows feet, the next question is how to prevent or treat them?
The quickest and most effective way to reduce crows feet is by using Botulinum toxin (you may know this as Botox). By using very small doses of Botulinum toxin, the OO muscles are gently relaxed so that the lines caused by their contractions are softened. Because the injections are placed in a specific area of the OO muscle (on the sides of each eye), your blinking, winking and squinting action is not affected. You will still be able to do this, but minus the lines. If the lines and wrinkles are already well developed, it may take a few treatments over a few months to fully relax the muscle, but eventually, the muscle will be so relaxed that you may only need a top up dose once or twice a year to keep the lines at bay.
Once the botulinum toxin has worn off (anywhere between 8 and 12 weeks generally), the crows feet will be exactly as they were before and no worse.
Prevention is always better than cure, which is why you may see people in their 20’s opting for this treatment and wonder why, as they have no crow’s feet. Well, this is their little secret. By relaxing the muscle earlier in life before the wrinkles develop, you may only need a cheeky treatment once a year to prevent those pesky lines from appearing.
The added bonus to this treatment, is that it stops the pull-down action of the OO muscle which in turn makes eyes appear wider and fresher. This treatment is definitely worth considering if you are looking to refresh your eyes and upper face.
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