If only you could turn back the hands of time. Your skin is an essential part of the aging process. While you may be able to hide your actual age by dressing more stylishly or getting a new sports car, your skin will tell on you. Thankfully, there are a few ways that you can help to reduce crow’s feet and fine lines caused by years of damage.
What are crow’s feet, and how do these fine lines become so pronounced as you age? These tiny imperfections are lines that appear on the side of the eyes. After years of many facial expressions and weight fluctuations, it’s common for these lines to appear.
Did you know that wrinkles are divided into two separate categories? They’re classified as either dynamic or static. When you draw your face into an expression, you’re causing muscles to contract to form dynamic wrinkles. Over time, those dynamic wrinkles will morph into the static variety as they are always visible.
Once the wrinkles become set into the skin and collagen underneath, they become visible at all times, whether you’re smiling or not. Thankfully, there are many options to prevent or reduce these troublesome lines from appearing.
Fifteen Ways to Reduce Fine Eye Wrinkles
If you’re troubled by your aging skin and want to prevent or correct damage, some simple hacks can help you. Here are some of the more popular methods for fixing this common problem.
1. Drink More Water
It seems simple enough, but your skin is the largest organ in your body, according to the National Institute of Health. There are two layers of your skin, which are the epidermis and dermis. Shockingly, your skin is made up of 64 percent water.
If you don’t get enough hydration, then you cause some real skin issues. Your skin will draw and contract like that of a rotting fruit when it doesn’t have the moisture it needs. If you want to prevent things like dark circles and wrinkles, then you need to drink water.
2. Wear Sunglasses
Wearing protective glasses seems like a no-brainer. First, you want to make sure that you protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, but you also want to help your skin by not squinting. When you squint, you’re drawing your face to create those tiny lines that will become permanent.
3. Use Retin0l Creams
Retinol is a common component of many facial and acne creams. The benefit of this vitamin A component is that it helps you to produce new skin. By helping to get rid of damaged areas caused by aging thin skin, it can help with those troubling fine lines.
Sadly, this product is not a miracle worker and cannot help when your lines are deep or have been there for many years. Getting rid of static wrinkles will take a bit more invasive treatment.
4. Change Your Diet
It turns out that a plant-based diet is about more than just your waistline. When you consume the vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies, you’re helping to protect your skin and the rest of your body from damage caused by free radicals. Make sure to incorporate plenty of veggies, whole grains, and healthy oils into your day to keep your skin radiant.
5. Get Moving
You know you need to exercise, but did you understand that maintaining a healthy weight can improve your skin? While you’re working out, you get your blood pumping. The goal is to get the blood to come closer to the skin’s surface, where it can nourish and repair damage and prevent new damage from occurring.
6. Avoid Tanning Beds
Everyone wants that amber glow to their body during the summer season. The pale white skin color of the wintertime seems unattractive during short and flip-flop weather. However, before you jump into that tanning bed to bronze your skin, you may want to consider the health risks.
Not only can this artificial light age your skin and cause crow’s feet and wrinkles, but it can give you cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation did a study and found that there are 419,000 new cases each year caused by using tanning beds. It appears that being tan isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
7. Stop Smoking
Each drag you take from a cigarette causes damage to the skin. When you use your lips to suck, it causes lines to appear from routine. Additionally, smoking takes a great deal of moisture from your skin, which can cause it to take on a leathery appearance.
If the issues with your skin aren’t enough reason to quit smoking, then you should consider that the American Cancer Society found that 80 percent of deaths in this country come from lung cancer. Additionally, tobacco products are responsible for one in five deaths each year.
8. Always Use Sunscreen
Wearing sunglasses is not enough to protect your skin. It would help if you used sunscreen when you will be outdoors for longer than a half-hour. You need an SPF that is at least 30 when you’re outside, but if you tend to burn more efficiently, then you can go up all the way to a 100 SPF.
9. Reduce Your Time in Peak Sun Hours
Your mental and physical health requires you to get fresh air, but you should try to limit your exposure during peak hours. When the sun is the hottest, it can do massive amounts of damage. Though you need sunscreen anytime the sun is out, you should avoid those peak hours of exposure as much as possible.
10. LED Therapy
Did you know that they use therapeutic LED lights to kill bacteria on the skin? It’s called LED light therapy, and it’s used to repair damages caused by aging. A dermatologist or aesthetician conducts this procedure, and it’s highly effective at treating crow’s feet.
11. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Did you know that obesity has a dramatic effect on your skin? Wrinkles can quickly form by being overweight as it causes stretching and sagging. Excessive weight also takes hydration from your skin, causing it to be more prone to damage.
12. Moisturize the Skin
Since your skin needs hydration, you should use a moisturizer with collagen in it as you age. Collagen will help to stimulate healing and repair as well as keep the hydration levels right.
13. Get Adequate Sleep
Your body needs to rest. It’s during these hours that you stimulate the healing process. Additionally, when you don’t get enough sleep, the body produces a hormone called cortisol to keep you going. This hormone can cause the skin to break down and lose its elasticity.
Not only will you see dark circles form when you don’t have sufficient rest, but you will also see fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet.
14. Limit Tap Water Washings
Did you know that tap water can strip your skin of vital nutrients? The chemicals in your tap water take away the natural oils you need to keep your face looking radiant. According to Byrdie, those who have sensitive skin are more prone to the effects of these chemicals.
15. Eat More Fish
You’ve probably heard that you need to eat more fish, but do you know why it’s so important? Coldwater fish, like salmon, is full of omega-3s and fatty acids that your body needs to thrive. Fatty acids will help to keep your skin plump and looking its best, according to a study.
Additionally, fish is full of protein, which will also help your skin maintain a youthful appearance.
Final Thoughts on Reducing Fine Lines and Crow’s Feet
If your crow’s feet are severe, you can consider more invasive procedures like chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or laser resurfacing. Each procedure comes with a high cost as well as many pros and cons. Remember, the best way to avoid a problem is to prevent it in the first place.
Remember when Ponce de Leon was searching for the fountain of youth? Since the dawn of time, people have searched for a way to erase the damage to the skin. Some people are blessed to have naturally great skin, and there can be some genetic components as well.
However, a big part of your skin’s overall health is what you do to keep it looking great. Some folks think skincare is about washing your face regularly. While cleaning your face is essential, there is so much more to keeping your outer covering radiant and wrinkle-free.
Another thing to consider is that you must come to terms with aging and learn to love the skin you’re in. It’s not a realistic expectation to have flawless skin as you age, but you can love yourself no matter what blemishes are on the exterior. All these minor imperfections show a life well lived and many years of smiling and vibrant facial expressions.
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