Crow's feet: what causes them and how they're treated
What causes them
Every time you smile or squint, a ring of muscle around the eye contracts and folds the skin at the outer corner. Do that a few hundred thousand times over a couple of decades and the fold stops springing back — it becomes etched.
Two things make it worse. The skin around the eye is the thinnest on the face, so it creases more readily than anywhere else. And cumulative sun exposure degrades the collagen and elastin that would otherwise let it recover, which is why crow's feet often appear earlier and deeper on the side you drive on.
Treatment options
| Option | How it works | Results appear | Lasts | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wrinkle relaxers | Relaxes the muscle that folds the skin, so the line stops being made. | 2–10 days | 3–4 months | At Beauty Factory SD |
Microneedling | Prompts new collagen, improving the quality and thickness of the skin itself. | Weeks, over a course | Maintained with repeat sessions | At Beauty Factory SD |
Dermal filler | Adds volume. Rarely used directly in crow's feet — the skin is too thin — but can help adjacent temple or cheek hollowing. | Immediate | 6 months – 2 years | At Beauty Factory SD |
Laser resurfacing | Ablates the skin surface to trigger remodelling. Effective on static, etched lines. | After healing | Years | Not offered here |
Daily sunscreen | Prevents further collagen breakdown. Does not reverse existing lines. | — | Ongoing | At home |
What we would recommend
For crow's feet that appear when you smile and soften when your face is at rest, a wrinkle relaxer is the direct answer — it targets the exact mechanism producing them. Typical treatment is a small dose either side, and results settle over two to ten days.
For lines that are still visible with your face completely relaxed, the muscle is no longer the whole story: the skin has been creased for long enough to hold the fold on its own. A relaxer will still soften them, but pairing it with microneedling addresses the skin quality underneath, and that combination does more than either alone.
Which of those you are is a two-minute assessment at a free consultation, and it changes the plan.
What it won't fix
A wrinkle relaxer will not remove loose or crepey skin around the eye. That is laxity, not muscle movement, and no injectable tightens it.
It will not treat under-eye bags — those are herniated fat pads, a surgical problem. It will not lighten dark circles, which are usually pigment or shadowing from hollowing rather than lines at all. And it will not eliminate a deeply etched line entirely on the first round; expect softening, and expect the result to improve over two or three consecutive treatments as the skin gets a sustained break from being folded.
Anyone promising complete erasure of etched crow's feet from one injectable appointment is overselling.
What we use for crow's feet
Common questions
How many units does it take to treat crow's feet?
Your injector determines the number of units after assessing your facial muscles, and it varies with each individual. The area typically needs a modest dose split across several small injection points on each side.
Will treating crow's feet change my smile?
It should not. The muscle treated is the one that creases the skin at the outer corner of the eye, not the one that lifts the mouth. A well-trained injector assesses your areas of concern and determines the right amount of product to give a fresh appearance while avoiding an unwanted result.
Can I prevent crow's feet from getting worse?
Daily sun protection is the single most effective preventive measure, because ultraviolet exposure degrades the collagen and elastin that let creased skin recover. Sunglasses also reduce how often you squint.
At what age should I start treating crow's feet?
There is no correct age. The more useful question is whether the lines are visible when your face is at rest. If they only appear when you smile, treatment is straightforward and preventive; if they are etched at rest, they will take longer to soften.
Stanislav Zayets, MD
Board-certified — American Board of Internal Medicine
Last reviewed August 7, 2026
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