Dynamic wrinkles around the sides of the eyes, which occur with smiling as people age, have the unfortunate name of “crows feet.” There is now official FDA approval of Botox for the temporary decrease of this type of wrinkling.
Botox was originally approved for the treatment of frown lines, called glabellar wrinkles, in 2002. It has since been used off label for a variety of muscles on the face, such as upper eyelid for browlift, chin for “cobblestoning,” the upper forehead, the upper lip for “gummy smile,” and jaw line for “facial slimming.”
Now, it is officially approved for use in crows feet. Generally, the amount required depends on the individual. The range of units used is generally around 5 to 7.5 units per side, and it is injected just under the skin to address the small fan of muscle called the orbicularis oculi in this area.
You will often start to see weakening of the muscles that cause wrinkling after 24 hours, however the full effect takes about a week. It is temporary, with the full effect lasting 3 months. Thereafter, there is slow increase in wrinkling which starts to appear over the 3 to 6 month range.
