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Quick answer: Crow’s feet (often typed as crows feet) are fine lines fanning out from the outer corners of your eyes. They form from years of smiling and squinting, plus collagen loss and sun damage. Botox softens lines that show when you smile for about 3 to 4 months, retinoids smooth fine lines over months, and daily sunscreen slows new ones.
We read 18 studies and sources, from the FDA’s 2013 Botox approval to a 4.5-year sunscreen trial in Australia, so every claim below links to where it came from. (I read most of them squinting at a laptop in the sun, with my sunglasses sitting on top of my head, where they live full time. They have never once been on my face. We’ll come back to this.)
Crow’s feet treatments at a glance
| Option | Best for | What the evidence shows | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily sunscreen | Slowing new lines | 903 adults, 4.5 years: 24% less skin aging than people who used it when they felt like it | Prevention, not a reversal |
| Sunglasses | Lines from squinting | The American Academy of Dermatology recommends them for squint lines | No trial on crow’s feet alone |
| Retinal or retinol (no prescription) | Fine lines | 0.05% retinal smoothed the crow’s feet area by week 18 in a 125-person trial | Gentler than tretinoin. Not in pregnancy |
| Tretinoin (prescription) | Fine and deeper lines | 8 trials, 1,361 people: beat a plain cream on fine and coarse wrinkles | More irritation. Not in pregnancy |
| Botox | Lines that show when you smile | FDA-approved for crow’s feet in 2013 after trials in 833 adults | Lasts about 3 to 4 months. $435 average cost |
| Peels and laser | Deeper lines at rest | Offered by dermatologists | Cost and downtime vary |
| At-home needle-free RF | Steady upkeep | 33 women, 12 weeks: beat an anti-aging cream on wrinkles | One small trial, whole face, not crow’s feet alone |
Sources: Hughes 2013, AAD on premature aging, Creidi 1998, Huang 2025, AAD on retinoids, Healio on the FDA approval, AAD on botulinum toxin, ASPS on cost, Cleveland Clinic, Shu 2022.
What are crow’s feet?
Crow’s feet are fine lines at the outer corners of your eyes, also called lateral canthal lines or laugh lines. They usually start as lines that appear only when you smile or squint, known as dynamic lines. Over the years, some stay visible when your face is at rest, and those are called static lines.
“These small lines and wrinkles form from tiny muscles contracting in the outer corner of your eyes”
Cleveland Clinic
“Lateral canthal lines” is the official name, and it sounds like a train route I would absolutely miss my stop on. Cleveland Clinic says they “usually start out as noticeable lines that form when you smile and your eyes naturally squint” (Cleveland Clinic). So every good joke you’ve ever laughed at has left a tiny signature. (Mine have left none. My jokes do not have that kind of power.)
The dynamic and static split matters, because it decides which fix fits. A Cincinnati dermatology practice puts it plainly: “Dynamic wrinkles are said to be caused mainly by facial expressions”, while static ones come from age and the slow loss of elastin (The Dermatology Group). Elastin is the protein that lets skin snap back. It’s basically the waistband of your face, and I say that as someone who owns a lot of tired waistbands.
Cleveland Clinic says most people first notice crow’s feet in their 30s, some not until their 40s, and that they “tend to appear earlier and form deeper wrinkles in men than in women” (Cleveland Clinic). One reason the researchers give is that men are less likely to wear sunglasses. I feel seen, and I’m not even in the study. [Touches the sunglasses on top of my head. Leaves them there.]
What causes crow’s feet?
Crow’s feet come from three things working together: the muscle around your eye squeezing every time you smile or squint, the slow loss of collagen and elastin with age, and sun damage that speeds that loss up. Genetics play a part too. Smoking is linked to wrinkling at the temples, though the evidence for this exact spot is mixed.
The muscle part is simple repetition. The American Academy of Dermatology explains it better than my gym instructor ever explained anything.
“If you repeatedly contract the same muscles for many years, these lines become permanent. Wearing sunglasses can help reduce lines caused by squinting.”
American Academy of Dermatology, 11 ways to reduce premature skin aging
Wearing sunglasses. On your face. Where the lenses line up with the eyes. I’ve read that sentence five times, and my sunglasses have stayed on top of my head for all five of them. [Checks. Still there.]
The sun is the bigger lever. In a 1991 study of 132 adults that photographed the temple area, where crow’s feet live, more than 50,000 lifetime hours in the sun raised the odds of heavy wrinkling 3.1-fold (Kadunce 1991). That’s roughly 6 hours a day for over 20 years, a number I did on a calculator, slowly, while squinting.
Smoking is where it gets messy. The same 1991 study found heavy smokers, over 50 pack-years, were 4.7 times more likely to be wrinkled than nonsmokers, and smoking plus heavy sun was worse than either alone. But a 2013 study of 79 pairs of identical twins found no statistically significant difference in crow’s feet between the smoking and nonsmoking twin, though the smokers had more eyelid sagging, under-eye bags and lip lines (Okada 2013). So quitting still pays off, just mostly lower down the face. Two studies, two answers, which is also how I pick a restaurant.
Does Botox work for crow’s feet?
Yes. The FDA approved Botox Cosmetic for moderate to severe crow’s feet in September 2013, after two trials in 833 adults. It relaxes the muscle at the corner of the eye, so the lines soften when you smile. Results show in 3 to 7 days and last about 3 to 4 months, so it has to be repeated to keep the effect.
Botox was approved for frown lines back in 2002, and crow’s feet were added eleven years later (Healio). Eleven years is a long wait for an approval, and a short wait compared with how long I’ve meant to reorganize my bathroom cabinet. If the lines you care about are above your eyebrows instead, our guide to getting rid of forehead wrinkles covers that area.
The American Academy of Dermatology says the results arrive within 3 to 7 days, and “The improvements last about 3 to 4 months” (AAD). So it’s a subscription, not a purchase. Like streaming, but your face is the show.
The side effects are worth reading straight. The most common one in the crow’s feet trials was eyelid swelling (Healio), and Cleveland Clinic adds headache and drooping eyelids (Cleveland Clinic). A 2021 Cochrane review of 65 trials found botulinum toxin reduces wrinkles within four weeks but “probably increases risk of ptosis”, the medical word for a drooping eyelid (Camargo 2021).
The injector matters as much as the product. Two of the doctors behind the approval research made a point I haven’t seen on any clinic page.
“The facial expressions treated in the glabellar area are all negative whereas the crow’s feet area is an important component of the smile and must be treated with respect.”
Alastair and Jean Carruthers, in Healio
Translation: a good injector softens the lines and leaves your smile working. Ask how they plan to keep your smile looking like yours before you book (I’d also ask where they park, but that’s just me).
On cost, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the average cost of botulinum toxin injections at $435 (ASPS), and the AAD says insurance generally doesn’t cover it for signs of aging. At three or four visits a year, that adds up faster than my coffee habit, which is saying something.
What is the best crow’s feet treatment without Botox?
A retinoid is the best-studied option without needles. In a 125-person trial that measured the crow’s feet area directly, 0.05% retinal and 0.05% tretinoin both reduced wrinkles by week 18, while the plain cream did nothing. Tretinoin needs a prescription and irritates more. Dermatologists also offer chemical peels and laser resurfacing for deeper lines.
That trial is Creidi 1998, and I love it because it made silicone molds of people’s crow’s feet and measured the wrinkles like tiny mountain ranges (Creidi 1998). Both retinoids smoothed the lines at week 18, with a smaller gain by week 44. The irritation gap was the headline.
“Retinaldehyde was well tolerated during the entire study. In contrast, retinoic acid caused more local irritation, and affected compliance of the patients.”
Creidi et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
“Affected compliance” is the polite science way of saying people quit because it stung. I relate, deeply, to anyone who quit something because it was uncomfortable. Retinal (retinaldehyde) is sold without a prescription, and our retinal vs retinol comparison explains which one to pick.
Tretinoin has the deepest bench of evidence. In a 1988 trial, 14 of 15 people using it on the face improved, against none on the plain cream (Weiss 1988), and a 2025 review of 8 trials and 1,361 people found it improved both fine and coarse wrinkles (Huang 2025). Thirty-seven years of good results. My longest-running good result is remembering where I left my keys, and even that’s a coin flip.
Go slowly around the eyes, where skin is thin. Dermatologist Tina Alster, MD, advises starting with “the least-intense retinoid formula they can find, and use it every other night to start, slowly building up” (AAD). If your skin starts stinging or flaking anyway, pause and read our guide to skin barrier repair before you push on. The AAD is also clear that “Retinoids should not be used during pregnancy.”
What about eye creams? Moisture plumps fine lines so they look softer for a few hours, then the effect fades. That’s practitioner consensus, not a crow’s feet trial. Nice while it lasts, like a fresh haircut before I sleep on it wrong.
Peels and lasers are the dermatologist-level step. Cleveland Clinic says a dermatologist “can apply peels with a higher percentage of glycolic acid than you can buy over the counter” (Cleveland Clinic). These cost more and need downtime, so they’re usually saved for lines that stay put at rest.
How do you get rid of crow’s feet?
Match the fix to the line. Lines that only show when you smile respond best to Botox. Fine lines that stay at rest respond to a nightly retinoid over several months. Deeper static lines may need a dermatologist’s peel, laser or prescription tretinoin. Daily sunscreen and sunglasses protect whatever result you get, so they stay on at every step.
Here’s the honest part nobody’s advert will tell you: nothing makes crow’s feet disappear for good. (I looked. I looked with the energy of someone hunting for a lost remote.) Botox wears off in months, retinoids only work while you keep using them, and new lines keep forming because you keep smiling, which, for the record, you should. The evidence-backed routine fits on a sticky note, which is mildly annoying after I bought four eye creams.
How do you prevent crow’s feet?
Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, put sunglasses on in bright light, and don’t smoke. In a 4.5-year trial of 903 adults, the group using sunscreen daily showed no detectable increase in skin aging. You can’t fully prevent crow’s feet, because smiling makes them, and nobody should stop smiling to avoid a line.
That trial ran in sunny Nambour, Australia, and it’s the strongest prevention evidence we found.
“The daily sunscreen group showed no detectable increase in skin aging after 4.5 years.”
Hughes et al., Annals of Internal Medicine
The daily group aged 24% less than people who used sunscreen when they felt like it (Hughes 2013). Using it only when you feel like it is also my exact approach to flossing, so I understand the comparison group on a spiritual level.
Sunglasses do two jobs at once: they block sun from the thin skin around your eyes, and they stop you squinting (Cleveland Clinic). This brings us back to my sunglasses. After reading all of this, I moved them. From the top of my head. Down to my face. They stayed there for eleven whole minutes, until I went indoors, pushed them up out of habit, and forgot they existed. [Pulls them back down. Walks outside. Feels like a movie star for a second.]
Can an at-home device help crow’s feet?
Possibly, a little. In a 2022 split-face trial, 33 women aged 35 to 60 used a needle-free radiofrequency device at home for 12 weeks and saw bigger wrinkle improvements than with an anti-aging cream. It was one small trial of overall facial aging, not crow’s feet specifically, and Botox and retinoids have far stronger evidence.
That trial compared one side of each face against the other, which is a neat design (Shu 2022). One side got the device, the other got a cream, and the device side did better on wrinkles, radiance and skin thickness. (The closest I’ve come to a split-face trial is forgetting to moisturize one cheek. Results were inconclusive.) Real, but modest. Upkeep, not a clinic result in a box.
Be careful with anything sold as clinic RF microneedling for home use. The FDA says those devices “should not be used at home”, and our guide to what Morpheus8 is explains why that’s a clinic-only treatment (FDA).
The VEAUTY Dot is a needle-free option in the gentler surface category. Its 144 electrodes sit on the skin and never pierce it, and it’s sold as a cosmetic device, not a medical one. It has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from 1,163 reviews on its own store. Those are customer reviews, not a clinical trial, and it hasn’t been tested on crow’s feet specifically, so for lines that show when you smile, Botox has the stronger evidence. Our comparison of at-home skin rejuvenation devices lays out the options side by side.
Frequently asked questions
At what age do crow’s feet start?
Most people first notice crow’s feet in their 30s, and some not until their 40s. They tend to appear earlier and deeper in men, partly because men are less likely to wear sunscreen or sunglasses.
How long does Botox for crow’s feet last?
About 3 to 4 months, and sometimes longer. Results usually show within 3 to 7 days, and the treatment has to be repeated to keep the effect.
How much does Botox for crow’s feet cost?
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the average cost of botulinum toxin injections at $435 per treatment. Prices vary by clinic and area, and insurance generally doesn’t cover it for signs of aging.
Can you get rid of crow’s feet naturally?
No natural method has been shown to remove crow’s feet. Daily sunscreen and sunglasses slow new lines, and retinal or retinol, sold without a prescription, can soften fine lines over several months.
Does eye cream work on crow’s feet?
A moisturizing eye cream can make fine lines look softer for a few hours. For lasting change, a retinoid has trial evidence. Hyaluronic acid creams mainly add moisture.
Are crow’s feet permanent?
Dynamic lines come and go with your expressions. Static lines that stay at rest can be softened with retinoids, Botox, peels or laser, but no treatment removes them for good.
Your next step
Start with daily sunscreen and sunglasses, and add a gentle retinoid a few nights a week. If the lines that show when you smile bother you, book a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist to talk about Botox. If you want an at-home upkeep option, compare them in our guide to the best at-home skin rejuvenation devices.
Written by the Trusted Skincare Editorial Team
We research at-home beauty devices and skin treatments and link every claim to a published study, a regulator or a named expert. Last updated Sunday 27 September 2026.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic: Crow’s feet (lateral canthal lines)
- American Academy of Dermatology: Botulinum toxin therapy overview
- American Academy of Dermatology: 11 ways to reduce premature skin aging
- Healio: FDA approves Botox Cosmetic to treat crow’s feet lines (September 2013)
- Hughes et al. 2013, sunscreen and prevention of skin aging (Annals of Internal Medicine)
- Creidi et al. 1998, retinaldehyde vs retinoic acid on the crow’s feet area
- Huang and Lee 2025, tretinoin for photodamaged facial skin: meta-analysis
- Camargo et al. 2021, botulinum toxin type A for facial wrinkles (Cochrane review)
- Kadunce et al. 1991, cigarette smoking and premature facial wrinkling
- Okada et al. 2013, facial changes in smoking vs nonsmoking identical twins
- Shu et al. 2022, at-home RF device: randomized split-face trial
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Botulinum toxin cost