Laugh lines, sometimes called crow’s feet, are the fine diagonal creases that run from the outer corners of the eyes. They are a type of wrinkle, forming after many years of smiling, laughter, and facial expressions.
Although signifying a life full of joy and happy times, laugh lines are often a common concern for people seeking a more youthful complexion.
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In this blog, we’ll talk with Dr Rekha Tailor, founder and medical director at Health & Aesthetics, about the various causes and non-surgical treatment options for laugh lines.
What are laugh lines?
Laugh lines are often referred to as crow’s feet or lateral canthal lines. They are fine wrinkles which extend from the outer corners of the eyes, often resembling the foot of a crow. Everyone has these lines to an extent, but they can become more pronounced with laughing or smiling, hence the name.
What causes laugh lines?
“As we age, our skin naturally loses collagen and elastin, which are proteins that keep the skin looking and feeling firm,” explains Dr Tailor. “Facial fat pads also begin to diminish and move as we age, meaning that surrounding skin begins to sink and sag, causing laugh lines to become more prominent.”
Dr Tailor highlights that other factors can contribute to laugh lines, such as:
- Repeated facial expressions: Muscles around the eyes contract with many emotions, including laughter, surprise, and shock. As these move, they pull on the surrounding skin, and over time, this repeated pulling can lead to fine lines forming.
- Prolonged sun exposure: UV rays can accelerate the breakdown of skin proteins and speed up ageing.
- Genetics: our facial anatomy and skin type can often be predetermined by our genes.
- Environmental and lifestyle factors: smoking, pollution, diet, blue light exposure, stress, and hydration levels can all influence our overall skin health.
Can laugh lines be prevented?
Preventing common skin concerns like laugh lines can be tricky. However, Dr Tailor recommends that following an effective skincare routine will always benefit skin health.
“Often, concerns like laugh lines are inevitable, but having a skincare routine with medical-grade products personalised to your needs can help to keep your skin as healthy as possible. This may help to dramatically reduce the severity of your laugh lines, or delay their onset. It also goes without saying that daily SPF is vital.”
Using medical-grade skincare products is key. At Health & Aesthetics, we champion the ZO Skin Health range by Dr Zein Obagi.
Dr Tailor adds, “We offer a range of products that can target different skin types and needs. During a consultation, we can help identify the right products for tackling your laugh lines. Often, this involves choosing products which promote collagen and elastin production.”
Treatment for laugh lines
Anti-wrinkle injections
Anti-wrinkle injections work by temporarily immobilising muscles on the face to prevent them from pulling on the surrounding skin, causing it to sag.
“Using an ultra-fine needle, we place anti-wrinkle injections (which is a toxin) into the muscles that cause laugh lines,” Dr Tailor explains. “This prevents the muscle from moving too much, helping to relax and smooth out the surrounding skin. This helps to make laugh lines look less prominent, but also keeps the rest of the face moving and natural-looking.”
Learn more about how anti-wrinkle injections work.
Polynucleotide treatments
Polynucleotides treatment is a type of regenerative treatment. It works by targeting the skin at a cellular level, leading to the development of healthier skin cells.
Quickly becoming popular in the field of aesthetic medicine, polynucleotides bring a host of visible anti-ageing benefits. “Polynucleotides are fragments of DNA,” says Dr Tailor. “They essentially help to repair and regenerate skin cells, meaning they function better. As a result , polynucleotides help to boost collagen and elastin production, improve hydration in the skin, and reduce inflammation.”
Improving the skin from the inside out can help to tackle common concerns like fine lines, dry skin, pigmentation, scarring, and wrinkles like laugh lines. Dr Tailor recommends using polynucleotides treatments alongside anti-wrinkle injections to help maximise and sustain results.
Learn more about polynucleotide treatments.
Alma Hybrid
Alma Hybrid is a next-generation laser treatment that uses a unique combination of ablative CO₂ and non-ablative 1570nm laser technologies. This dual-laser approach effectively targets both the surface and deeper layers of the skin to stimulate collagen production and improve skin texture and elasticity.
It is particularly well-suited for treating fine lines and wrinkles, including laugh lines around the eyes. The treatment works by creating controlled micro-injuries that trigger the skin’s natural regeneration process, resulting in smoother, firmer and more even-toned skin over time.
With minimal downtime and a customisable treatment protocol, Alma Hybrid is a safe and powerful option for rejuvenating delicate facial areas while achieving natural-looking, long-lasting results.
Dermal fillers
Dermal fillers can help to reinstall volume into areas which have lost fat and volume in the ageing process.
Dr Tailor says, “If your laugh lines have resulted from a lack of volume higher up in the face, a small amount of a dermal filler can help to reinstall plumpness in these regions, lifting the skin around the laugh lines.”
She also suggests that having a small amount of filler after anti-wrinkle injections can be particularly effective for stubborn or deep-rooted laugh lines.
“We take a cautious approach to filler at Health & Aesthetics, ensuring to start small and build gradually, aiming to achieve a natural-looking result,” Dr Tailor says. “Our team is also highly skilled in administering fillers, maintaining industry-leading standards when it comes to patient safety and satisfaction.”
Learn more about dermal fillers at Health & Aesthetics.
Exosome Treatment
Exosome therapy is a non-invasive approach to reducing laugh lines. By introducing vital growth factors into the skin, exosomes enhance collagen and elastin production, improving skin’s firmness and elasticity. This process helps naturally diminish the appearance of laugh lines, resulting in a smoother and more youthful complexion.
Learn more about exosome treatment
Treating laugh lines at Health & Aesthetics
To learn more about our multi-award-winning clinic and the range of innovative skin treatments we have, contact us today to schedule a consultation.
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