Crows Feet
Wrinkles that appear at the outer corner of the eyes are often referred to as ‘crows feet’ or ‘smile lines’, and they tend to form as a result of repetitive smiling, laughing and squinting. Other influencing factors can include sun exposure, smoking, genetics and poor skincare.
As we age, levels of collagen (which keeps skin supple and firm) and elastin (which helps skin ‘bounce back’ after making facial expressions) slowly depletes, reducing the skins’ elasticity, allowing fine lines to be formed, and over time, become etched in.
These expression lines are often one of the first signs of ageing due to the skin around the eye being that much more delicate than that on the rest of the face. Eye skin also lacks sebaceous glands, which produce sebum, or what we think of as ‘oil’. This acts as a lubricant to the skin, so areas without sebaceous glands and sebum are more prone to dryness. Hence, fine lines and wrinkles appear more noticeable on dry and dehydrated skin.
