Laughter is health and wonderful if you can do it everyday. As you age, you may begin to notice the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes, commonly known as crow’s feet or laugh lines. Maybe you’ve noticed that these wrinkles persist even when your face is relaxed, so you’re considering doing something about it. At our private clinic in Maastricht, we’d be delighted to talk to you about various options available and guide you through the steps involved. During a consultation with a plastic surgeon at our private clinic located in Maastricht, we’ll provide you with all the necessary information so you can make an informed decision.

What are crow’s feet and how do you get them?

Crow’s feet are the laugh lines next to your eyes. These wrinkles resemble a crow’s footprint, hence the name. You see crow’s feet the most when you smile or squint your eyes. This is also how crow’s feet appear. The skin around your eyes contracts during laughter, creating creases. Because of facial mimicry, your skin is always folded in the same place, and it’s in those places that wrinkles appear. When you’re young you don’t see these wrinkles after your laughing fit is over, but as you age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. This is because the production of collagen and elastin in the skin changes overtime. This usually begins between the ages of 30 to 40. This leaves wrinkles visible and creates permanent crow’s feet. Other factors that can contribute to the appearance of crow’s feet are sun exposure, smoking, dehydration and genetics.

When to get your crow’s feet treated?

If your crow’s feet bother you, you may want to consider treating them. For most people, crow’s feet become distracting when the lines remain even when their face is relaxed. Additionally, there are plenty of young people who  want to avoid crow’s feet.

Reduce crow’s feet with Botox

Have you noticed that you get crow’s feet while laughing? Well, you can treat this with a muscle relaxant like Botox. Because muscle are relaxed, the so-called smile muscles around your eyes no longer contract and the skin there no longer folded, therefore wrinkles don’t form. Existing wrinkles will also slowly fade away, but when these wrinkles are too deep, treatment with Botox alone is not enough. In these cases, it is better to soften the crow’s feet using temporary fillers to fill them in.  We prefer to use Juvéderm or Belotero hyaluronic acid fillers for this purpose.

Botox® or Bocouture®.

At MOOI Clinic, we work with two different brands of muscle relaxants: Botox® and Bocouture®. Botox® is the well-known brand of Allergan. Bocouture® is a new, purified form of Botulinum toxin. During a consultation, we ‘ll explain both brands to you and help you choose the right one for you.

Consultation and treatment

During a consultation, the doctor will look at your face, wrinkles and skin, and recommend the appropriate treatment for you to reduce or remove your crow’s feet. Often treatment can be done immediately after the consultation.

With Botox treatment, the substance is injected with a very thin needle into the muscles that cause the wrinkles. It’s very important that you achieve a natural result and that your appearance is not lost. Therefore, always choose Botox treatment from a specialist such as a cosmetic doctor or plastic surgeon. The treatment takes about 15 minutes and no anesthesia is necessary. Afterward the treatment, the skin is somewhat red and swollen, but this goes away in about 15 minutes. You can return to work immediately after the treatment because usually there are no visible signs you had anything done. After a few days, the Botox begins to work, and after two weeks the muscle relaxing effect is optimal.

After treatment

There are rarely any side effects after Botox treatment. In case of swelling or pain, you can treat the treated areas with a cold compress, but this is usually not necessary. After treatment, you can do almost anything again. We only recommend keeping your head upright for the first 3 to 4 hours, and not exercising (including yoga), or using a tanning bed or sauna for 24 hours.