Dear Dr. Seckel, Are wrinkles inevitable? I am 35 and have good skin but I am starting to see crow’s feet around the corners of my eyes. Will the crow’s feet become permanent? What can I do to prevent that? Thank you, Leslie, Stowe, Vermont.
Dear Leslie,
Skin wrinkles and crows feet on the face are a classic sign of facial skin aging but they are not inevitable for everyone. Many people do not develop facial wrinkles and crows feet as they age, and I have seen patients who are in their 50’s who have facial skin that looks better than that of some people in their late 20’s. The good thing is that there are many new non-surgical facial and skin rejuvenation techniques available today for prevention of facial skin aging, removal of crows feet and wrinkle removal.
There are 2 major factors that determine whether or not you will develop facial skin wrinkles and crows feet as you age. First and most important is your inherited skin type. Look at your mother and father and whichever parent you most resemble will likely have a facial wrinkle and crows feet pattern that will be similar to yours when you reach their age. Typically people with darker skin, thicker skin and more oily skin age have fewer wrinkles and less skin aging. The pigment, thicker skin and skin oils protect the facial skin from the aging effects of the sun and environment.
The second major factor which determines the amount of wrinkles you will develop on your face is the preventative anti-aging skin care, dietary and lifestyle steps that you take during your life, especially now that you are starting to see wrinkles and crows feet on your face. There are many very important wrinkle prevention and wrinkle removal steps that you can take to prevent premature skin aging.
First, sun block and avoiding sunburn are the most important skin rejuvenation and wrinkle prevention steps to prevent facial wrinkles. Buy a sun block that contains Vitamins A, C, and E as these anti-oxidant vitamins triple the protective UV screening ability of sun block. Second, avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol use; smoking cigarettes causes terrible facial wrinkles at a very early age. Third, a healthy diet rich in anti-inflammatory ingredients high in deep water fish oils and anti-oxidant vitamins will help prevent facial wrinkles. Drinking water is very important, 2 liters a day for most healthy people. Exercise and staying fit, especially avoiding fluctuations in weight is very important. Frequent weight gain and loss stretches the skin and then loosens the skin with weight loss. Finally, avoid stress whenever possible. Studies have shown that the stress hormone cortisol directly damages the collagen in your skin that leads to wrinkle formation. Hormonal support as you enter menopause is very important and there are holistic alternatives to HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) that are safe and can be found in my book Save Your Face, The Truth About Facial Aging, Its Prevention and Cure.
These steps will not only prevent wrinkles but also will improve your general health and make you feel much better.
For wrinkles and crows feet that are already present there are many wonderful, new non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques that can safely remove wrinkles and crows feet from your face. Check my other posts in the column to the right under the categories wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation.
Finally, Botox® is a very effective agent for removing the crow’s feet which you are seeing now. In answer to your question, if not treated now the crow’s feet will likely become permanent as you grow older.
For further information on non-surgical facial rejuvenation and wrinkle removal visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me
Sincerely,
Boston, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts