How to Treat Crow's Feet With Botox

Crow's feet, also known as lateral canthus lines, are what are called dynamic wrinkles. This means that the wrinkles are caused by muscle contractions, specifically squinting. There are a number of steps you can take to treat and prevent crow's feet, including Botox injections. Botox is a toxin that when used in small doses temporarily paralyzes the muscle. When injected into the muscles around the eyes, the patient is prevented from squinting and thus from developing crow's feet.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Medical practitioner
• Ice pack
• Sunscreen

1. Find a qualified medical practitioner to do your Botox injections. Because Botox is a prescription drug and getting injections is a medical procedure, you should never allow anyone but a licensed medical practitioner to perform your procedure. Look for a cosmetic surgeon or a cosmetic dermatologist to do the job.

2. Have a consultation with your doctor first to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for Botox injections in your crow's feet. This is an opportunity for your doctor to evaluate your health and for you to ask any questions you need answered.

3. Ask about other procedures to treat crow's feet. Botox injections do not always treat etched-in wrinkles, so you may need additional procedures such as a glycolic peel, fillers or brow lift to smooth out existing crow's feet.

4. Have the procedure done on a slow day. The procedure is quick and relatively painless, but you may have some slight bruising and tenderness around the injection sites. You can go back to work immediately, but you might not want to take meetings with obvious needle marks around your eyes.

5. Use an ice pack to help prevent swelling and bruising at the injection sites. Icing your face before and after the procedure can be helpful in this regard. Your doctor should have icepacks available for you to use.

6. Plan to return on a regular basis. Most Botox injections last at least 3 months and some last as long as a year. There will be a point, however, at which the toxin wears off and you will have to have the procedure repeated in order to maintain results.

Tips & Warnings

• Stay out of the sun or use sunscreen to help prevent crow's feet. In addition to causing you to squint, sun exposure also damages elastin and collagen fibers in the skin. This contributes to skin wrinkling.

• Quit smoking to prevent crow's feet. It also makes you squint and leads to premature wrinkling.

• Botox causes some side effects in a small percentage of patients. The main side effects include eyelid droopiness, nausea and pain and redness around the injection site. These side effects are only temporary.

• Pregnant women and people with nervous system diseases may be more vulnerable to side effects from Botox and shouldn't have the procedure.