Understanding crow’s feet

The skin around our eyes is thin and delicate, which means it’s usually the first place to show signs of ageing. The skin around this area is about 40% thinner than the skin on the rest of the face, so it should come as no surprise that it is vulnerable to the hands of time.

The term “crow’s feet” refers to the fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area, particularly those in the corner of the eye. The main cause of crow’s feet is the loss of collagen and elastin, as well as muscle movement in the area. No matter what your expression, just about every facial movement affects the eyes. Smiling, frowning and even blinking causes a movement of the muscles around the eye area. Team that up with loss of collagen and elastin caused by ageing, free radicals and pollution, and crow’s feet seem completely unavoidable!

So although the signs of ageing are eventually inevitable, and it’s impossible to go through life without blinking or showing emotion, all is not lost! Skin Renewal offers a number of non-invasive treatments and products one can use to keep the area smoother and crease-free for longer.

Injections alone are a great treatment for young patients given their prophylactic (preventive) effects. After all, prevention is easier than cure! But in older patients with existing lines, adequately treating crow’s feet often requires combining the injections with a rejuvenating treatment such as Laser Genesis, Carboxytherapy, Skin Needling, Fractional laser resurfacing, Radiofrequency, Jett Plasma or a combination of some of these, to obtain optimal results. With most rejuvenating treatments, a good long-term result is only possible if the underlying muscle action is controlled with anti-wrinkle injections.

Since the eyelids and skin surrounding the eye area is thin, the area is very responsive to Radiofrequency a treatment that uses a radiofrequency current to stimulate collagen and elastin production in the deeper layers of the skin. The crow’s feet area is pre-treated with injectables followed by Radiofrequency two weeks later.

Injectable treatments combined with Carboxytherapy treatments around the eye area (performed two weeks later) also produces great long-term eye rejuvenating results. Eight out of ten patients get a noticeable improvement in skin laxity around the eyes after the first two treatments.

With Carboxytherapy the prospects of a more open expression in the eye and brow area are now possible and ageing around the eye area such as crow’s feet, dark circles, eye bags and crêpey skin can be improved on, especially if Carboxytherapy treatments are initiated early on in the ageing process.

To maintain and treat the eye area, it is important to use good quality products at home as part of your daily skincare routine. Ingredients to look out for are Peptides, Retinol and growth factors. Skin Renewal stocks a variety of topical creams that offer clinical proof of their results.

As each patient’s case is different, Skin Renewal tailors a treatment program specifically for you and your circumstances, taking your budget into consideration, too. A highly professional team led by a medical doctor assesses every patient and an appropriate combination treatment together with long term maintenance program is recommended.

To find out more, visit skinrenewal.co.za or book an appointment at your nearest Skin Renewal branch.

This post was sponsored by Skin Renewal.