Crow’s Feet and Bald Spots

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have crow’s feet around my eyes.  Is there a NONsurgical way to go about getting rid of it?  I’ve tried several eye creams and none have worked so far.

Mona

Dear Mona,

There are two kinds of wrinkles at the sides of the eyes: dynamic and static ones. Dynamic lines are produced only when you smile.  Static lines or crow’s feet are seen even when you’re not expressing and not squinting your eyes.  Both are caused by thin skin, age, sun damage, muscle degeneration and tendon degeneration.

For either case, NO eye cream will work for you.  The dynamic lines are often helped by injecting a neurotoxin (botox) around the eye area which forces the muscles to relax.  The cost will usually be less than Php500 per unit, and will last from 4-6 months.  This is a safe procedure when performed by someone who knows the muscles on the face intimately, usually your certified plastic surgeon or PDS dermatologist.  The trend nowadays is to produce a relaxed and youthful face, especially avoiding the waxed, frozen look.

Crow’s feet or static lines are diminished by botox, but more significantly reduced by erbium yag or carbon dioxide laser. These are the only two resurfacing lasers that will work for you.  Make sure to ask which laser is being used and more importantly about the doctor performing it.  This is a more pricey procedure (Php6,000 – 15,000) but the effects are permanent and needles and scalpels aren’t used.  Hope all this information will help you decide what to do about your crow’s feet!