Crow’s Feet are the fine wrinkles at the edges of your eyes, extending out in a fan-like pattern resembling a bird’s foot. Sometimes called “laugh lines,” crow’s feet can accentuate your laughs and your smiles, but they are also a sign of aging. Fortunately, these wrinkles can be easily smoothed out with Botox injections for a more youthful appearance.
What Are Crow’s Feet?
Crow’s feet occur as we age and our skin’s elasticity declines. Nobody is immune to signs of aging, but certain factors can cause deeper lines and wrinkles.
- Sun exposure
- A loss of collagen as we age
- smoking
While “character lines” sound distinguished, they’re an inevitable sign that you’re getting older.
How Do Crow’s Feet Occur?
As we age, we lose the natural elasticity inherent to youthful skin. Youthful skin stretches like a rubber band to fill in small gaps and moves with the muscles of the face. As we age, the collagen in skin declines, and skin loses the ability to stretch.
Treating Crow’s Feet with Botox
Botox injections are a common outpatient procedure to treat crow’s feet. Dr. Michael Kane, M.D. performs Botox injections at his office on New York City’s Upper East Side. Botox injections relax the muscles surrounding the corners of your eyes, smoothing out the skin and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Tailoring Botox Injections for the Individual Patient
Dr Kane is experienced with different patterns of injecting Botox and can tailor the injection sites depending on the appearance of lines and the structure of the face of each patient.
Patterns of Crow’s Feet
Surgeons have identified four patterns of crow’s feet: full fan, lower fan, central fan, and upper fan. Injections need to be tailored to match the pattern of eye wrinkles. Before you get Botox injections, make sure your surgeon is experienced with matching injection patterns to the unique structure of your face.
How Effective are Botox Injections for Crow’s Feet?
In a recent clinical study authored by Dr Kane, Botox injections for crow’s feet proved to be remarkably effective. Patients were followed for 7 months, and most showed improvements lasting the full length of the study.
Most patients experience noticeable results in three days. The muscles of your face start to relax, and the wrinkles start to fill in. Treatment generally lasts for about four months, depending on several factors including your age, skin type, and the depth of the lines.
What To Expect When You Have It Done
Botox is injected directly around your crow’s feet with fine, small needles. An experienced plastic surgeon can minimize pain, swelling and bruising due to these injections. Since crow’s feet cover a small area around the eyes, the treatment itself will only take a few minutes.
The treatment can be combined with other treatment methods, and can be performed on the same day as Botox treatments for other areas of the face, including frown lines and other wrinkles.
Recovery After Botox Injections
Recovery time for Botox is usually very short. Many people go back to work after the procedure, with no noticeable side effects. You can wear makeup and wash your face the same day. Don’t rub your eyes after the injections, because you don’t want to move the medication away from the treatment area.
Potential Side Effects of Botox Injections
Botox is remarkably safe and has a short recovery time, but side effects are still possible. Some people experience pain or bruising, and some people are afraid of needles. It’s important to choose an experienced surgeon for the procedure to minimize side effects. Dr Kane has performed thousands of procedures and treats patients calmly and minimizes pain from injections.
Other possible side effects include:
- excessive tearing in your eyes
- dryness (especially around the injection site)
- droopy eyelids
- crooked eyebrows
- headaches
If you experience any of the following rare, but serious side effects, seek medical help right away:
- muscle weakness that starts in your face and spreads to your body
- bladder control issues
- trouble with breathing
- loss of speech or vision
- problems swallowing food and drinks
Once you start Botox, it’s important to stick with it to receive maximum results. There are other types of medications available that offer similar effects, such as Myobloc, Dysport, and Xeomin. However, these medications can’t be used interchangeably because they’re all slightly different in terms of strength and dosage.
Restore Your Youthful Appearance with Botox Treatments in New York City
If you want to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet, set up an appointment with Dr Michael Kane in his private office on New York City’s Upper East Side. To schedule your appointment, call (212) 935-0030.