Crows-Feet
Crow’s-Feet
Let’s revise this term, right off the bat. Those little charming wrinkles around the eyes that we all get when we’re older? They’re not, emphatically, not, crow’s-feet. They’re laugh lines.
We had to do a lot of eye-crinkling laughing to win those lines, and now that we have them, why disparage them? They are associated not with crows, but with good humor, kindness, and wisdom.
Your drugstore and department store probably offer an array of wonder creams, all claiming to remove wrinkles and make your skin look 20 years younger. Forget the hype. Only a few products are widely recommended by dermatologists, and most doctors tell their patients to expect only modest results.
Try This First
Pour on the cream. The best skin products that help are skin creams containing glycolic acid, a fruit-derived form of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), cause new, healthy cells to replace old, wrinkled tissues. AHAs usually come in a moisturizing base that prevents the creams from drying your skin, says Debra Price, M.D., dermatologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Miami’s department of dermatology.
Other Wise Ways
Try topical vitamin C. Dermatologists are increasingly impressed with vitamin C–containing skin creams, especially when they are used in tandem with glycolic acid or the more powerful, doctor-prescribed tretinoin (Retin-A) emollient cream.
Vitamin C smoothes the skin and rebuilds the underlying tissue somewhat. More research is needed before scientists know for sure the full effect that the vitamin C is having, says Dr. Price.
In a pinch, try egg white. If you don’t want to alter the turnover rate of your cells with AHAs and have no interest in the stronger peels or surgery, try beating an egg white and then applying it over your wrinkles.
The egg white temporarily tightens and flattens the appearance of wrinkles, says Seth L. Matarasso, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. It hydrates the skin somewhat and is a lot cheaper than any skin cream you’ll find in a drugstore. Use a fresh egg white for each application. One is enough to cover your entire face.
Take cover from the sun. Ultraviolet light is the source of not only crow’s-feet but also most other wrinkles, especially on the face and hands. Cover up your skin with a broad spectrum sunblock, a form of sunscreen that protects against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B light. Most high sun protection factor (SPF) products identify themselves as sunblock. Use a sunscreen with a strength of at least SPF 15 protection, applying it carefully around your eyes.
Wear all forms of shades. With more UV light hitting your skin than at any other time in recent history, sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats are more than a fashion statement, they’re a necessity, says Dr. Price. Ultraviolet light can also lead to skin cancer, including the potentially fatal melanoma.
