Crow's Feet & Under-Eye Wrinkles: What really helps

Crow’s feet, the fine lines that fan out from the outer corner of the eye, often appear as early as your late twenties. At first, they only show when you laugh; over time, they remain visible even when your face is relaxed. Together with wrinkles under the eyes, they are among the first visible signs of skin ageing. In this guide, you will find out how they develop and what really helps.

What are crow’s feet?

Crow’s feet are fine wrinkles at the outer corner of the eye that spread out in a fan shape, reminiscent of a bird’s footprint. They are expression lines: they are caused by the repeated contraction of the muscle around the eye when laughing, squinting or blinking. Other typical expression lines are frown lines and forehead wrinkles.

Dynamic wrinkles: visible only when you move your face, for example when laughing.
Static wrinkles: remain visible even when your face is relaxed, because the skin has lost firmness.

Why do crow’s feet and under-eye wrinkles develop?

Thin skin under the eyes: the skin around the eyes is considerably thinner than on the rest of the face and has hardly any sebaceous glands. It loses moisture faster and wrinkles more easily.
Constant movement: blinking, laughing and squinting strain the eye area many thousands of times a day.
Collagen loss: from around the mid-twenties, the skin’s own collagen production slows down and the skin loses elasticity.
UV light: sun is the main cause of premature skin ageing, and squinting in bright light intensifies crow’s feet.
Lifestyle: lack of sleep, screen work, smoking and too little fluid make wrinkles appear earlier.

Crow’s feet or wrinkles under the eyes: what is the difference?

Crow’s feet form at the outer corner of the eye and are mainly caused by facial expressions.
Wrinkles under the eyes are fine creases on the lower eyelid. They are mainly caused by dryness and thin skin.

Not to be confused with puffiness and dark circles: you will find suitable care for these in our collections cream for under-eye bags and eye cream for dark circles.

What helps against crow’s feet?

1. The right eye care

An eye cream for crow’s feet should contain actives that target expression lines and support the skin’s structure:

Peptides: Syn-Ake visibly softens expression lines, Cyclopeptide-5 supports a firmer contour.
Hyaluronic acid and ceramides: bind moisture and strengthen the thin skin barrier.
Caffeine: stimulates microcirculation and makes the eye area look fresher.

You will find eye creams with these actives in our collection anti-wrinkle eye cream, for example the Eye Cream Smooth 100 with Syn-Ake.

2. Consistent sun protection

UV light breaks down collagen and makes you squint. Protect the eye area every day with sunscreen from our face sunscreen collection and wear sunglasses in bright light.

3. Lifestyle

Get enough sleep and take regular breaks from screen work.
Wear glasses if you need them, instead of squinting.
Avoid smoking and drink enough water.
Remove eye makeup gently, for example with the Eye Make-up Remover, without rubbing.

4. Aesthetic treatments

For pronounced crow’s feet, dermatologists and aesthetic practices offer treatments such as botulinum toxin (Botox®), laser or microneedling. After such treatments, the skin needs gentle aftercare, which you will find in our collection skincare after laser, peels & Botox. If you prefer a gentle option without injections, see our Botox cream alternative with peptides. You can find out what peptides can realistically achieve in our guide Botox alternative.

What helps against wrinkles under the eyes?

Fine wrinkles under the eyes are often caused by dryness. They therefore need above all moisture and barrier care:

Rich, light eye care with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, such as the CytoLine Eyecare Cream 100.
Eye patches as a booster: the CytoLine Hydro-Lift Eye Patches with collagen and hyaluronic acid visibly plump the skin under the eyes.
No rubbing: pat eye care in gently with your ring finger.

The right eye care routine against crow’s feet

OPEN: cleanse the eye area gently, for example with the Eye Make-up Remover.
TREAT: apply a concentrate such as the THE BEST Eye Serum or the CytoLine Eyecare Firming Concentrate.
CLOSE: pat in an eye cream such as the Eye Cream Smooth 100, the CytoLine Eyecare Cream 100 or the EyeLift Cream with your ring finger, from the inner to the outer corner of the eye.

When should you start doing something about crow’s feet?

The earlier, the better. From your mid-twenties, an eye cream with moisture binders and sun protection is a good preventive measure. As soon as the first lines remain visible, actives such as peptides become important. From 40 onwards, a routine with serum and eye cream is worthwhile. You will find suitable care in our collection face cream over 40.

Frequently asked questions about crow’s feet

Can you get rid of crow’s feet with a cream?
No cream removes deep crow’s feet. An eye cream with peptides and moisture binders can visibly soften fine lines and strengthen the skin’s structure over weeks.
At what age do you get crow’s feet?
The first fine lines often appear from the late twenties onwards, initially only when laughing. Depending on genetics, sun exposure and lifestyle, they appear earlier or later.
What helps quickly against wrinkles under the eyes?
Eye patches with hyaluronic acid and collagen, such as the CytoLine Hydro-Lift Eye Patches, visibly plump the skin under the eyes within a short time.
Which actives help against crow’s feet?
Peptides such as Syn-Ake and Cyclopeptide-5, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and caffeine. You will find them in our collection anti-wrinkle eye cream.
Does Botox help against crow’s feet?
Botulinum toxin relaxes the muscle around the eye for a few months and is administered by doctors. As a gentle option for daily care, peptide creams visibly soften expression lines without injections.
Do men get crow’s feet too?
Yes, often even more pronounced, as men tend to use sun protection less often. Men will find suitable care in our collection eye cream for men.

Would you like to know how pronounced your fine lines really are? Our free skin analysis evaluates them in just a few minutes.

Botox® is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc. MBR Medical Beauty Research is not affiliated with Allergan. Our products do not contain botulinum toxin.