Crow’s Feet
Eye area has the thinnest skin on our face which makes it the most delicate skin and more susceptible to damages. As we get older, eyes often are the first area to show signs of aging. Sagging skin around eyes is an early indication of developing crow’s feet.
What is crow’s feet
Crow’s feet are the wrinkles appearing between the corners of the eyes and temples, and are one of the visible signs of aging shown on the face. The causes of crow’s feet are the decreased functionality of the endocrine system, decreased production of protein, depressed elastin fiber activity, loss of collagen and elasticity and the formation of lines at the corners of eyes.
Causes
○ Hormonal Change
As we get older, the endocrine system undergoes age-related changes that negatively affect its functioning. The deceased endocrine functionality will lower the production of protein, depress the elastin fiber activity in the dermis and lose collagen and elastin which result in losing skin elasticity and formation of wrinkles around eyes.
○ Dry/dehydrated skin
The skin around our eyes is more delicate than the skin on other parts of our body. The skin is only 0.4 mm thick, and has no sebaceous glands and sweat glands for protection which will get dry easily. Therefore, dehydrated skin is a common skin problem around the eyes areas and the cause of lines.
○ Loss of Elasticity
From a medical point of view, this type of wrinkles is caused by aging. Aging causes the loss of healthy elastin, lower water and fat content in the skin and loss of skin elasticity. Our eyes work a lot throughout the day, from blinking to talking, this can also cause aging.
○ Loss of Collagen
Wrinkles, crow’s feet, lines around eyes and fine lines can be caused by oxidation. Collagens are heat and light sensitive which can be damaged through oxidation by sunlight, ozone or other oxidants. When the collagens in the dermis are exposed to any oxidant, they will be damaged and broken resulting in losing its supporting function against the dermis. The skin where the dermis has lesser support from collagen will collapse and form depression.
○ Excessively Using the Eye Muscles
Excessively using the muscles that control your eyes when you squint and blink will cause the formation of fine lines. Crow’s feet develop over time because of the muscle contraction every time you make a facial expression. Excessive muscle contraction will develop early sagging eyelids.
○ Climate and personal factors
Other factors that cause the loss of elastin will stimulate the formation of wrinkles around eyes such as sun exposure, dry weather, cold weather, washing face with hot water, excessive facial expression and smoking.
Symptoms
Eye area skin is the most delicate skin on the face. As we age, our skin loses collagen constantly which will firstly affect the eye area skin leading to the development of crow’s feet. Chronic contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscles (eyelid muscles) will form dynamic crow’s feet in a radial orientation.
▲ Fine Lines
Dehydrated skin will damage the structure of epidermis and negativity affect its function as a skin barrier causing the excessive evaporation of water and collapse in the epidermis. Skin with dehydration problems often displays accelerated signs of aging including fine lines and dry lines. When early signs of aging are shown, the fine lines and normal skin texture appear the same, but the skin has apparent signs of dryness and tightness.
▲ Dynamic crow’s feet
Dynamic wrinkles are wrinkles that appear during muscle contraction because the skin around the muscle is being squeezed. Over time, your skin’s elasticity decreases and normal facial expressions result in heavier wrinkles around the eyes. Once the wrinkles are formed at the dermis, they can not be treated simply by skincare products, however, anesthetic treatment such as injection of botulinum toxin is proven to be effective to smooth dynamic crow’s feet.
▲ Static crow’s feet
Leaving the dynamic wrinkles untreated will lead to the formation of long term wrinkles in the near future. Our skin “remembers” where the dynamic wrinkles are and how our skin is folded during muscle movement. As we age, collagen production declines and causes the skin to lose elasticity. As a result, dynamic wrinkles will eventually become static wrinkles that are visible all the time even when no facial expression has been made. It is important to receive anti-aging treatment and collagen building treatment when you first see the sign of static wrinkles around the eyes.
Affected groups
As we get older our skin begins to show its age and formation of crow’s feet. For both men and women, absence of insufficient skincare routine will lead to the formation of wrinkles or crow’s feet.
Treatment
The formation of crow’s feet is naturally irreversible. However, Ai Beauty clinic offers a wide range of anesthetic treatment options to clients with different needs.
A. Wrinkles Removal by Botulinum Toxin
What is it?
Botulinum toxin is a protein that can block the signal communication between nerves and muscles, and hence paralyses/relaxes the muscles temporarily, resulting in releasing the muscles pressure at the nasolabial folds and smoothing the folds. It is only suitable for eliminating dynamic wrinkles.
How does it work?
Botulinum toxin can block the signal communication between nerves and muscles and hence relax the excessive muscle contraction. The resulting relaxed muscular status will then no longer pose any squeezing action onto the skin and cause no dynamic crow’s feet.
Procedure:
1. Face-to-face consultation: Confirmation of a detailed plan of injection areas and dosage after fully understanding the client’s conditions and desired results.
2. Pre-treatment preparation:Clean and disinfect the injection areas. Confirm the injection solution has not been opened.
3. Injection:Injecting the solution at the dynamic crow’s feet. Massage the injection areas while injecting to smooth the lines evenly.
4. Post-treatment precautions.
Duration: 30-45 mins
Who is it for?
√ People who have dynamic crow’s feet;
√ People who want to smooth crow’s feet quickly in a natural way;
B. THERMAGE Eye Treatment
What is THERMAGE:
THERMAGE uses radiofrequency technology to heat the dermis. The heat energy will damage the localised dermis and hence stimulate the skin self-healing process. The healing process promotes the formation and remodeling of collagens which will tighten, smoothen and lift the skin, resulting in re-contouring and slowing down the aging process. THERMAGE is the only device approved by FDA and TGA for the treatment of tightening and smoothing eyelids, an eye specialised treatment device to slow down aging and restore youthful eyes.
How does THERMAGE work:
THERMAGE is a radiofrequency treatment. The patented applicator will touch against your skin and deliver the accurately set radiofrequency to the dermis to reach the temperature of up to 65℃～ 75℃. The high temperature will stimulate the self-repair mechanism of the skin. A large amount of collagen in the dermis will be regenerated resulting in an instant firming effect and gradul smoothing of crow’s feet.
Procedure:
1、Face-to-face consultation: Confirmation of a detailed plan of THERMAGE after fully understanding the client’s conditions and desired results.
2、Pre-treatment preparation: Clean and disinfect the treatment areas. Draw treatment areas on the face. Confirm the package of the new tip of the applicator has not been opened.
3、During treatment:Proceed the treatment based on the assigned treatment areas to remove wrinkles and tighten skin.
4、Post-treatment repair: Medical-grade facial repair mask to nourish and repair the skin.
5、Post-treatment caring.
Duration: 45-60 mins
Who is it for:
√ People who have dynamic or static crow’s feet.
√ People who have serious signs of aging around the eyes area.
√ People who have experienced disappointing results with injection anesthetic treatment about the removal of crow’s feet.
√ People who are looking for a long term anti-aging and wrinkles removal treatment for the eyes area.
√ People who do not rush into immediate/short term results and are looking for long term treatment.
C. ULTHERAPY
What is ULTHERAPY:
MERZ ULTHERAPY®is a non-surgical aesthetic treatment. It enables high-intensity ultrasound to precisely focus on the SMAS layer, stimulate the self-renewal mechanism of skin tissue, resulting in a series of rejuvenation effects such as tightening, increased elasticity, lifting, wrinkle reduction, whitening, and pigmentation reduction.
How does MERZ ULTHERAPY® work:
ULTHERAPY engages precise ultrasonic energy to go 4.5MM, 3.0MM and/or 1.5MM skin deep, triggering cellular friction to generate high thermal energy at pinpointed thermal focal points. The heat generated at these focal points will stimulate tissue self-renewal mechanism, collagen regrowth, and an increase in collagen fiber and elastic fiber. Providing instant reverse of signs of aging.
Procedure:
1.Face-to-face consultation: Confirmation of a detailed plan of ULTHERAPY after fully understanding the client’s conditions and desired results.
2. Anesthetic: Apply Anesthetic externally. Clean and disinfect the treatment areas.
3. Pre-treatment preparation: Draw markings on the face to define treatment areas. Adjust treatment parameters based on the client’s signs of aging on the face.
4. During treatment: Perform the MERZ ULTHERAPY treatment. Focus on the areas of the double chin and the jawline.
5. Post-treatment repair: Medical-grade facial repair mask to nourish and repair the skin.
6. Post-treatment caring.
Duration: 1.5-2 hr
Who is it for:
√ People who have shown severe aging nasolabial folds.
√ People who have deep nasolabial folds due to face sagging.
√ People who have shown signs of aging and deep nasolabial folds.
√ People who have experienced disappointing results from injection treatments and shown repeated appearance of lines.
√ People who want to eliminate nasolabial folds and remove wrinkles/lines in the long run.
√ People who do not rush into immediate results and are looking for long term treatment.
D. Eye Thread Lift
What is thread lift:
Thread lift is currently the most effective face lifting technique. By embedding threads (that can be absorbed and degraded in the body) to the dermis, it lifts the face according to the direction and interval of the embedded threads, stimulates the skin, and further activates fibroblasts to produce collagen. Thread lift is suitable for people who want to restore skin’s lifting ability, reduce signs of sagging and stimulate regrowth of collagen. There are specific threads available for the eye lifting treatment.
How does it work:
Unlike the rest of the face, the skin around eyes does not have any underlying fat content, it only has muscles underneath the skin. Therefore, the threads used for eye treatment are smooth instead of jagged. The threads will be embedded to the swallow muscle layer by the practitioner according to the client’s condition and desired results.
Procedure:
1. Face-to-face consultation: Develop a unique treatment plan based on the client’s condition and desired results.
2. Apply anesthetic: Apply anesthetic externally. Clean and disinfect the areas to be embedded with threads.
3. Pre-treatment: Fully understand the treatment plan. Check the quality and quantity of the threads.
4. During treatment: Proceed with the treatment plan to embed threads.
5. Post-treatment precautions.
Duration: 30-45 mins
Who is it for:
√ People who have significant crow’s feet and the situation is worsen;
√ People who start to appear sagging skin around the eyes and early development of crow’s feet;
√ People who want to reduce crow’s feet quickly and naturally;