Crow’s feet are honest lines. They show how often you laugh, squint at sunsets, or spend time outdoors. They can also arrive earlier than you expect, especially if you’re fair skinned, expressive, or spent years playing tennis without sunglasses. When patients ask about Botox for crow’s feet, what they really want is a softer outline around the eyes that still looks like them. The good news is that goal is realistic with the right plan, the right injector, and a clear sense of what Botox can and cannot do.
What crow’s feet really are
Crow’s feet are the radiating lines at the outer corners of the eyes. They come from repeated contraction of the orbicularis oculi, the circular muscle that helps you blink, squint, and smile. Early on, these lines are dynamic, meaning they only show during expression. Over time, as collagen thins and skin elasticity falls, the etching becomes static and visible even at rest. Sun exposure, smoking, and genetics accelerate the shift from dynamic to static, and once the skin’s scaffolding changes, topical products and hydration can only help so much.
Because crow’s feet live right where the eye moves constantly, any solution must respect function. If you over relax the muscle, you can lose a natural twinkle or create an odd pull in the cheek. Under treat it, and nothing changes. That balancing act is why technique matters more than marketing.
How Botox works at the eye corner
Botox cosmetic is a purified neuromodulator that temporarily relaxes muscle by interrupting the communication between nerves and the targeted fibers. Think of it as turning the dial down on muscle intensity, not cutting the wire. For crow’s feet, the goal is a partial relaxation of the lateral orbicularis oculi so the lines don’t carve in every time you smile. If dosing and placement are correct, you still smile, you still blink, sudbury botox and the outer eye looks smoother.
Onset isn’t instant. You usually feel a softening around day three to five, and the full effect lands around day 10 to 14. That timing is useful, because it allows for a conservative first session, a two week check, and tiny adjustments if needed. In practice, that’s how you keep results natural and avoid the overdone, frozen look people fear.
The treatment plan, step by step
A typical Botox procedure for crow’s feet starts with a conversation, not a syringe. I ask patients to smile, squint, and laugh so I can see the pattern, not just the lines. Some people fan their lines upward toward the temple, others downward onto the upper cheek. Taller foreheads or heavy brows can shift where the muscle pulls. A heavier lower lid or a history of dry eye changes the plan as well.
For most first time Botox patients with moderate crinkling, I start with 6 to 8 units per side, split across two to three injection points that follow the patient’s line map. Men often need slightly higher doses due to stronger muscle mass, sometimes 8 to 12 units per side. If someone has very fine etched lines and wants subtle Botox results, Baby Botox dosing, say 4 to 6 units per side, can be a good entry. The micro option favors spread and softness over strength, which is ideal when you want to test drive how your smile looks on Botox.
The injections are quick. A thin insulin gauge needle, a few tiny pricks, each lasting seconds. Most people rate the discomfort as a 2 to 3 out of 10. I sometimes use a dab of topical anesthetic or a cold roller for comfort. Afterward, there’s often a few pink dots that fade in 15 minutes, and make up can go on lightly the same day if the skin is intact and clean. Pinpoint bruises are possible. Plan social events with a one week buffer if you’re prone to bruising.
Safety, risks, and the trade offs
Botox injections around the eyes are considered low risk in experienced hands. The most common side effects are temporary redness, mild swelling, or small bruises. Headache can happen in a small percentage of patients, usually mild and resolving in a day or two. The risk that makes people nervous is eyelid droop. True eyelid ptosis after crow’s feet treatment is rare, and typically comes from product tracking to the levator muscle or poor placement. That risk falls when injections stay lateral and superficial, and when you avoid heavy rubbing or a hot yoga session immediately afterward.
Eye dryness can worsen if you already have issues with incomplete blinking. Dry, contact lens wearers or those with a history of LASIK or blepharoplasty should tell their injector. The plan can be adjusted by keeping doses lower, placing points more lateral, or spacing sessions farther apart. On the flip side, under treating a strong squint muscle won’t give the smoothing you want, so there’s a balance between caution and efficacy.
Allergic reactions to Botox are rare. The product has been used for decades in both medical and cosmetic settings, from chronic migraine therapy to muscle spasticity. For cosmetic use, a board certified Botox provider, dermatologist, facial plastic surgeon, or a well trained Botox nurse injector working under strong medical oversight will keep risks low and outcomes consistent. Watch for realistic language about outcomes, not grand promises, and be wary of generic “Botox specials” that push high volume with little personalization.
How long crow’s feet Botox lasts
The results typically last 3 to 4 months. Some people stretch to 5 months, especially after several cycles of Botox maintenance, because repeated relaxation can train the muscle down. Others metabolize quickly and feel movement return by 10 weeks. Fitness level, individual metabolism, and dose influence duration. I tell first time Botox patients to expect a 12 to 16 week window, with movement starting to return before the lines fully come back.
When does Botox wear off? Movement comes back gradually in the reverse of how it softens. One side may wake up a little faster. If you like a consistent look, plan a calendar reminder. For those doing broader facial plans, coordinating crow’s feet, frown lines, and a light brow lift timing makes visits more efficient.
Keeping your smile natural
Natural results come from restraint. The eye corner should still animate when you laugh. If you flatten all movement, the midface can look heavy and the smile tight. I often combine crow’s feet treatment with the smallest touch to the lateral brow tail. This micro lift redistributes muscle balance and opens the upper lid by a millimeter or two. It is the difference between looking rested and looking “done.” For patients with hooded eyes or droopy eyelids, a brow tail point can help, but only if the frontalis muscle is healthy and you are not over treating the frown complex. Otherwise, the brow can drift downward.
For etched lines that are visible at rest, Botox therapy helps by reducing the constant folding, but it does not fill in grooves. Skin quality treatments play a role here: medical grade retinoids, sunscreen, and targeted energy devices. Some injectors layer in micro Botox intradermally to tighten the skin microstructure. Others use very light dermal filler, dotted superficially with a cannula, to support crepelike areas. That requires a cautious hand near the eye to avoid puffiness.
Beyond the outer eye: how the rest of the face affects crow’s feet
The face is a network. Strong glabellar muscles between the brows can over recruit the orbicularis and deepen outer corner lines. A small amount of Botox for frown lines can smooth that central pull and make the crow’s feet treatment work better at lower doses. Frontalis treatment for forehead lines can also help by adjusting brow position, but heavy dosing there risks brow heaviness and a tired look. The best approach distributes small, precise doses based on your expression patterns, not a cookie cutter map.
For some, facial slimming work changes how the eye area reads. If you treat the masseter with Botox for jaw clenching or TMJ, the lower face softens and the eyes can appear more prominent, making finer details like crow’s feet more noticeable. That is not a reason to avoid jawline contour or Botox for square jaw, but it is a reason to plan the timing and expectations together. Good facial contouring is choreography, not solo acts.
What to expect the first time
Most first timers feel the early phase as a slight tightness around day three. At one week, the outer eye looks smoother in photos and makeup settles better. At two weeks, you have your true result. If we started conservatively, this is when we decide whether to add a unit or two per side. That micro top up finishes the result without tipping into stiffness.
Downtime is easy. You can return to work right after treatment. Skip hard workouts, saunas, and facials for the first 24 hours, and avoid lying flat for 3 to 4 hours after injections. If a bruise appears, arnica gel or a cold pack helps. With sensitive eyes, lubricating drops for a few days Find more info can counter subtle dryness.
Cost, value, and the false economy of bargain hunting
Pricing varies by region and provider. Expect a per unit price or a per area rate. Crow’s feet alone typically fall between the low to mid hundreds of dollars depending on dose and city. Packages sometimes bundle Botox for forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet at a discount. Affordable Botox is possible with reputable clinics that price transparently, but be careful with unusually cheap Botox deals. Vials can be overdiluted, expired, or mishandled, and injector experience is what you are really buying. If you need to edit the budget, choose smaller, strategic treatments with a top rated Botox injector rather than more product with minimal guidance.
For those comparing Botox vs filler, remember they do different jobs. Botox relaxes muscle; fillers add volume or structure. In the crow’s feet zone, filler is secondary and used sparingly, if at all. A better pairing for the eye corner is neuromodulation plus skin quality work.
Technique details that separate good from great
I mark injection points based on your smile pattern, not fixed dots. I stay at least a centimeter lateral to the orbital rim to avoid the deeper orbital septum and keep the placement intradermal to subdermal for fine lines, or slightly deeper when treating stronger fibers. Spacing points along the fan rather than stacking them avoids a telltale dent. If your lines dive low onto the upper cheek, I place a light, superficial point there, mindful of the zygomatic complex to prevent smile distortions.
Diffusion matters. Botox brands and dilutions vary. A standard dilution gives predictable spread, but if you are a wide smiler with longer lines, a tiny bit more diffusion helps. If you have smaller eyes or a high risk for dryness, tighter control with smaller, more concentrated micro deposits is safer.
Combining crow’s feet treatment with other concerns
Patients often ask during their eye appointment about Botox for under eye wrinkles. The under eye is trickier. Too much relaxation can cause a subtle bulge or compromise your ability to support the lower lid. I use very small, superficial doses in select cases with thin lines and good lid tone. For under eye creasing and eye bags, filler is rarely the first answer; skin tightening with energy devices, skincare, and sometimes surgery offers more durable results.
If sweat is your nemesis, the same medication treats hyperhidrosis. Botox for sweating in the underarms can be life changing and typically lasts longer than facial treatments, often 4 to 6 months or more. While not directly related to the eyes, addressing underarm sweat before big events can keep makeup intact and reduce the temptation to squint and blot in heat.
For chronic migraine sufferers, Botox for headache relief follows a different protocol with multiple points across the scalp, forehead, and neck every 12 weeks. Patients on that regimen often notice they need fewer cosmetic units for crow’s feet, because the orbicularis gets incidental relaxation from the broader plan.
Skin health, sun, and what makes results last
No injectable replaces sunscreen. Daily SPF 30 or higher slows collagen breakdown around the eyes and extends the life of your results. A prescription retinoid or a gentle retinaldehyde used properly can smooth fine lines over months, while peptides and growth factor serums can improve texture. If your skin runs dry, use a humectant and a light occlusive at night to reduce crinkling from dehydration. Smoking speeds static line formation no matter how perfect the injections, and squinting without sunglasses will fight your results day after day. A simple pair of polarized shades often does more for crow’s feet than another two units.
Special cases: hooded lids, asymmetric smiles, and strong cheek pull
Hooded eyes require caution with brow work. If your frontalis muscle is doing the heavy lifting to open the eyes, too much Botox for forehead lines can drop the brow and worsen hooding. In those cases, I favor conservative forehead dosing, a tiny lateral brow lift, and precise crow’s feet points that respect the brow’s support. Asymmetry is normal. Almost everyone has one eye that creases differently. I dose asymmetrically by a unit or two to even the smile. Strong zygomatic muscles can pull injections south and create dimpling. Adjusting the angle and staying outside the zygomaticus vectors prevents smile changes.
Maintenance without fatigue
There’s a myth that Botox stops working if you use it for years. True antibody resistance is rare at cosmetic doses. What does happen is expectation creep. Patients forget where they started and chase total stillness. I keep photos on file and show before and after at 2 weeks and again at 12 weeks. It keeps maintenance honest and grounded.
Spacing treatments at 12 to 16 week intervals is reasonable. For Preventative Botox in younger patients, I often stretch to 4 or 5 months with lower doses, because the goal is to retrain patterns, not lock the face. If budget or schedule gets tight, prioritize the frown complex to keep the upper face open, then the crow’s feet, then the forehead.
When Botox isn’t the whole answer
Some lines are etched into the skin like pencil on paper that has been folded a thousand times. Botox reduces the folding but cannot erase the mark. In those cases, fractional laser, radiofrequency microneedling, or a series of light peels can rebuild collagen. Micro Botox can refine pore look and oiliness on the upper cheek, which pairs nicely with eye corner work. If crepe is significant on the lower face or neck, Botox for platysma bands helps neck contour, but true “turkey neck” or décolletage creasing needs collagen building rather than muscle relaxation. Being honest about the right tools saves time and money.
A brief checklist for choosing a provider
- Look for a board certified dermatologist, facial plastic surgeon, or a certified Botox provider with extensive before and after photos of crow’s feet specifically. Ask how they adjust dose for asymmetry, dry eye history, and your exact smile pattern. Confirm they schedule a two week follow up and offer conservative touch ups. Be wary of deep discount Botox price promotions that don’t outline dose or product brand. Make sure you understand aftercare instructions and realistic timelines for Botox results.
What a well done result feels like
A good Botox cosmetic injection around the eyes feels like you, rested. Makeup doesn’t settle into fine lines. Sunglasses no longer imprint the outer corner. Photos look kinder to your skin. When you laugh, the corners still lift, and friends say you look refreshed, not different. That is the bar I set in the chair, and it is achievable in most cases with dose, placement, and patience.
If you are curious but cautious, start small. Try Baby Botox at the eye corners, live with it for a cycle, and calibrate. Fold crow’s feet treatment into a broader, minimalistic plan that might include subtle Botox for eyebrow lift, a modest frown softening, and diligent sun care. Crow’s feet formed over years of expression and light. You don’t need to erase that story. You just want to keep writing it without the extra crinkles.