2 Eye Issues You Love To Hate: Crow’s Feet & Droopy Eyelids
2 Eye Issues You Love To Hate: Crow’s Feet & Droopy Eyelids
The skin around the eyes is one of the thinnest, most sensitive areas on your body.
It’s also among the first areas to reveal signs of aging, such as fine lines or crow’s feet.
It’s also among the first areas to reveal signs of aging, such as fine lines or crow’s feet.
Every time you make a facial expression, tiny muscles contract causing Crow’s feet to develop over time.
The different types of wrinkles explained
Dynamic
- The repeated contraction of muscles underneath the skin can cause dynamic wrinkles over time
- These tend to show up when the muscles are in use, such as when you smile
- Crow’s feet which develop near the outer corners of the eyes are dynamic wrinkles
Static
- Static wrinkles are caused by skin damage, such as exposure to the sun, smoking and poor diet
- They remain visible even when the facial muscles are at rest and most often with time, dynamic wrinkles become static wrinkles
Wrinkle folds
- The age-related sagging of facial structures causes wrinkle folds
- They may occur underneath the eyes and often develop in the grooves between the nose and mouth
- The skin area around the eye has less oil glands and collagen compared to other parts of your face and body, making it more prone to dryness, droopiness, lines, and wrinkles
- Drooping can often occur in the skin either above or below your eyes
- You lose fat from your eyelids into your eye sockets, making your eyes sink and appear darker
- If your lower eyelids droop, it causes bags under your eyes
- As the skin around your eyes becomes thinner, the dark-bluish blood vessels underneath become more visible
2 Eye Issues You Love To Hate: Crow's Feet & Droopy Eyelids
What causes crow’s feet?
Repeated contraction
Contraction of the circular muscle that is found around the eye, known as, orbicularis oculi.
This circular muscle contracts to close your eyelid and in doing so, it pulls the skin in a perpendicular fashion, resulting in a crease.
This repetitive motion throughout your lifetime of smiling, blinking, laughing and more, can contribute to the formation of crow’s feet.
Ultraviolet radiation
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun can contribute to the formation of crow’s feet.
Ultraviolet radiation and the wavelength of UVA can penetrate deeply into the layers of the skin and activate enzymes that use up your collagen and in doing so, you lose some of this supportive tissue underneath and that’s how a wrinkle line is formed.
Smoking
This is a major threat to the health of your entire body, to your lifespan, and also to the aesthetics of your skin.
Smoking will accelerate the rate of skin aging hastening the appearance of crow’s feet.
Smoking activates some of those same enzymes that destroy collagen, which results in a lot of inflammation and can bring an early onset of skin aging.
Diets
Those that are high in sugary foods, in particular, can result in the formation of advanced glycation end products.
They are the sugar molecules that deposit themselves on proteins, and they then become hard and gummy in the skin, contributing to the destruction of collagen in the deeper layers of your skin.
Eating a lot of processed foods can drive the formation of wrinkles in the skin.
Why you should use an eye-specific cream instead of regular face moisturizer
Face creams and serums usually contain active ingredients, such as retinoids, whose concentration is too strong for under-eye skin.
Choose instead an eye cream that contains retinol, a vitamin A derivative
These are specifically formulated with a lower concentration of retinol for better hydration with less risk of irritation.
Tips for addressing dark circles
Getting enough sleep sometimes is not enough to get rid of dark under-eye circles.
Genetics can play a part in dark circles.
Topical creams that contain caffeine or vitamin K, can help with circulation to lighten circles.
Tips for addressing fine lines and wrinkles
Night cream – Use a retinol or a peptide-packed eye cream
Retinol and retinoid are both vitamin A derivatives that stimulate skin cell turnover and improve collagen production.
Daywear – Use an antioxidant-rich cream including green tea polyphenols, which neutralizes aging free radicals in the body, lessens the risk of sunburn, and decreases the activity of an enzyme that degrades collagen in your skin.
Results of topical creams are usually seen within 24 weeks.
Common ingredients found in eye creams & their benefits
Antioxidants found in (plant oils, vitamin C, vitamin E)
- Protect your skin from cell damage
- Help to reduce the wrinkling and dulling effects of aging
- Brighten the skin and help to prevent further environmental damage
Hyaluronic acid or ceramides
Moisturize your skin by trapping water, helping plump up wrinkled areas.
Retinol
Retinol helps to improve overall skin texture by going deeper into the skin structures to revitalize wrinkles and improve the appearance of fine lines.
This form of vitamin A stimulates collagen to reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
Peptides
Beneficial for drooping and under-eye bags
Contain anti-aging ingredients that increase collagen and elastin to firm up sagging skin.
Niacinamide or kojic acid
Can help lighten under-eye circles and brighten your skin by slowing down pigment-producing cells.
Use a cream that suits your skin type and avoid using more than one anti-aging product at a time.
8 Ways to reduce the effects of aging on your eyes
Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen
With an SPF and SBV of 30 or stronger.
Use one that is specifically formulated for delicate eye skin.
Sunglasses
Can stop you from scrunching up your eyes against the sun.
Sleep and rest
Do your best to get a regular six to eight hours of sleep every night.
Stop smoking
Smoking destroys the collagen and elastin fibers in your skin, causing it to dry up and shrivel.
Walk in nature
Exhaust fumes can damage your skin. Go for walks in green spaces if you can.
Nourish your skin from the inside
Make sure your diet includes healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, and the like.
Eat enough fruits and vegetables
To provide an extra boost of skin-protecting antioxidants.
Drinking plenty of water
Will help keep your skin hydrated.
Treatment for crow’s feet
The treatment you choose depends on the severity of the crow’s feet and your desired outcome.
In some cases, a combination of treatments will be more beneficial.
Topical creams
Look for eye creams that contain peptides, and humectants like hyaluronic acid which pull moisture in and lock it into your cells.
Vitamins that contain vitamin A and vitamin C can also help stimulate collagen around the eye area, giving skin more youthful firmness.
Results of topical creams are usually seen after a few months.
Botulinum toxin (Botox)
Botox injections for crow’s feet, act to relax muscles surrounding your eye corners, so your skin smooths out.
Botox is best suited for women aged 30–50 whose wrinkles are just starting to develop and is not as effective on the deep wrinkles common amongst older women.
The effects typically last for about 3 months.
Chemical peels
They involve the removal of older layers of skin to reveal younger skin below.
The results depend on the type of peel you have and your skin type.
Professional peels range from superficial to deep.
Superficial peels are not very painful and usually require little to no recovery time.
However deep peels can be very uncomfortable.
In some cases, you will receive anesthesia during the procedure.
Also, you might need a few weeks to fully recover.
For best results, a superficial peel every 2 to 4 weeks is recommended, or a deeper peel every 6 to 12 months.
Dermal fillers
Dermal fillers are injected into the crow’s feet with a small needle.
Each filler has its own properties and some last longer than others.
They are most effective for static crow’s feet, which appear even when the face is at rest.
Dermal fillers usually last anywhere from 3–12 months but can last longer.
Micro-needling
Micro-needling is an innovative treatment that creates micro-injuries in the skin, stimulating the body’s own healing response.
As collagen and elastin production increases, patients see visible improvement to their skin with fewer signs of aging like crow’s feet.
Results of micro-needling can be both dramatic and long-lasting, with results that improve in the days and weeks following the procedure.
Laser resurfacing
Laser resurfacing is a procedure that removes the upper layers of the skin, revealing younger-looking skin.
Laser resurfacing can offer good results for crow’s feet, because it heats up several layers of skin, promoting collagen production.
Increased collagen production can help the skin around the eyes heal, revealing newer looking-skin.
Laser energy is delivered to the eye area in micro-bursts, tightening the skin.
Complete healing can take several weeks.
Results last for up to 10 years.
How to conceal crow’s feet
Crow’s feet are tough to conceal, but here are a few tips that can help:
Hydrate and smooth the area
Try using an eye cream and primer around the temples before applying your makeup.
Keeping the skin around the eyes hydrated will ensure that makeup does not set into lines.
A primer will also prevent eye makeup from bleeding.
Cover up with a liquid makeup formula
Choose liquid foundations, cushion compacts, and lightweight creams over pressed powders.
Heavy makeup makes wrinkles more pronounced.
Powder can settle into lines and wrinkles, emphasizing rather than masking them.
Apply concealer in an upward motion to help hide lines.
Draw attention away from your eyes
- Highlight your brows with a brow mascara and draw attention away from lines
- Skip false eyelashes, shimmery eye shadow, and dark liquid liners and instead use a highlighter on your cheeks and a dramatic lipstick colour
Sources
australianskinclinics.com.au – can you get rid of crows feet
womanandhome.com – crows feet fixes
healthline.com – crows feet treatment prevention coverup
nedermatology.com – say goodbye to crows feet
Droopy Eyelids
Hooded or droopy eyelids, also known as ptosis, are the result of an age-related change to the face.
As you age, you lose collagen and elastin in the deeper layers of the skin resulting in saggy skin.
On the upper eyelids, an extra fold of skin can hang over the eyelashes and get in the way of seeing, and on the lower eyelid excess skin can cause wrinkles and bulges.
The fat that protects the eyeball from the skull can also bulge in the upper and lower eyelids.
As you age the thin membrane that holds the fat in place weakens, letting the fat come forward into the lids like a hernia.
Another major factor contributing to an aging face and droopy eyelids is loss of bone redistribution and muscles that ultimately contribute to the appearance of droopy eyelids.
Additionally, the levator muscle, which is responsible for the lifting of the eyelid, stretches, resulting in the eyelid falling.
Therefore, it is more than just losing collagen in the deeper layers of the skin.
It is also a kind of restructuring of the facial anatomy and the anatomy around the eye.
However, some people are born with naturally hooded eyelids secondary to their facial anatomy and they may be bothered by this at a younger age.
In some cases of hooded eyelids, it is so severe that it impacts the individual’s vision, especially their peripheral vision.
The hooded eyelids can way down the upper lashes and compromise the visual fields.
Treatments for droopy eyelids
Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is a type of surgery performed on the eyelids to remove excess skin from the upper eyelids and reduce bagginess from the lower eyelids. It’s also called an eye lift.
This procedure is usually done for cosmetic reasons but can also an effective way to improve sight in older people whose sagging upper eyelids get in the way of their vision.
Thread lift
A thread lift is a non-invasive procedure that lifts and tightens sagging skin and tissues with sutures.
This treatment is great for rejuvenating the wrinkled, collagen-depleted, saggy skin near the eye and the eyebrow region of the face.
Laser resurfacing
Laser resurfacing removes old dead skin cells to reveal newer younger cells underneath.
Since the technique uses a laser, it is possible to have total control over the depth of treatment, lessening complications to surrounding tissue.
Laser resurfacing can provide significant results by heating the skin layers underneath to encourage collagen production, stimulating the skin to heal in a smoother, more even appearance.
Botox
This is a temporary option to rejuvenate the look of saggy upper eyelids especially in people whose sagging is mild.
This is a better option for people that are in their 30s as opposed to those in their 40s or 50s.
It is commonly referred to as a Botox brow lift and is low risk.
With Botox, results can last you up to six months.
Fillers
Since droopy eyelids occur due to age-related loss of volume, replacing some of that volume with a hyaluronic acid filler can improve the look of mild droopy eyelids.
Again, it is not a permanent fix and the best option for people whose droopiness is not severe.
Lifestyle habits to help against droopy eyelids
Eating a healthy diet
This involves cutting out sugary processed foods. Sugary processed foods generate advanced glycation end products that affect your collagen in the deeper layers of the skin.
Getting a good night’s rest
Sleep helps your skin to heal repair itself at night-time.
Do not smoke
This is a fast way to annihilate your skin.
Do not drink alcohol in excess
Alcohol consumption in excess is associated with more prominent signs of aging of the skin, including deeper wrinkles.
Protect your eyes from the sun
By wearing sunglasses and always apply a suitable sunscreen around your eyelids.
Sources
medicalnewstoday.com – droopy eyelids causes risks treatment
mayoclinic.org – blepharoplasty
themedspotla.com – non-surgical eye and eyebrow lift
eyesthetica.com – laser resurfacing with blepharoplasty
