You may not be familiar with the name “crow’s feet,” but there’s no doubt you recognize the wrinkles. Crow’s feet, better known as laugh lines, develop on the outer corners of your eyes and fan out toward your temples.
Like most lines and wrinkles, crow’s feet develop slowly over the years, yet they seem to appear overnight. One morning, you look in the mirror and suddenly see wrinkles you swear weren’t there the previous day.
Don’t let crow’s feet affect your appearance because they’re easy to smooth away without surgery. At Allure Dermatology, Theresa Durchhalter, DO, FAAD, has helped many patients turn back time with Botox® injections that virtually make crow’s feet disappear.
Some facial wrinkles result from natural aging, such as the loss of collagen, dehydration, skin thinning, and sun damage. Others, called dynamic wrinkles, develop over years of repeatedly using the same muscles to make facial expressions.
Botox is the perfect injectable treatment for dynamic wrinkles like crow’s feet because it temporarily stops muscle contractions. After we inject Botox, the medication prevents nerves from activating the muscles. This relaxes the muscles and significantly diminishes or eliminates the wrinkles.
The number of Botox injections you need depends on the extent of your wrinkles and if you have more than your crow’s feet treated. However, most people get three injections beside each eye. You need multiple injections to be sure all the muscles responsible for your crow’s feet get the medication.
Before your procedure, we explain what to expect and discuss whether you want a topical numbing cream. We use a fine needle for your injections, which causes a very mild pinch tolerable for many patients.
However, some people are more sensitive than others, or you may have a fear of needles. In both cases, we can apply a topical numbing cream to ensure your comfort.
After you relax in the treatment chair, we clean your skin, identify the injection sites, and inject the Botox. All the injections are ready to go before we start your procedure so that we can take care of all six injections quickly.
You can return to work or your normal daily routine as soon as you leave the office. Very few patients (about 1%) experience minor swelling and redness. Though these side effects disappear in a few hours, you may want to take the rest of the day off if swelling develops.
Because Botox affects the nerves and muscles, seeing your results takes a little time. You may start noticing the difference in 24-48 hours, and the full effect appears within 30 days.*
The results typically last up to four months.* At the end of that time, you can choose to have another Botox treatment to maintain your appearance.
Ready to turn back time and eliminate crow’s feet? Call Allure Dermatology today or connect online to request an appointment and learn if Botox is the best treatment for you.
*Individual results may vary.
