Crow's Feet Botox in Suwon: Where Is It Injected for Wrinkles That Appear When You Smile?

If the wrinkles that fan out from the outer corners of your eyes when you smile bother you, it is worth first checking whether they come from facial expressions or from thinning skin. Crow's feet Botox is a treatment that injects small amounts at several points along the outer edge of the muscle that encircles the eye (the orbicularis oculi), reducing the signals to the muscle and weakening the force that folds the skin.

Crow's feet Botox is injected on the outer side, a little away from the corner of the eye, and the position and amount are decided by selecting only the spots where wrinkles actually fold when you smile. At our Suwon clinic, we first look at the direction in which wrinkles spread when you smile broadly, differences between the left and right sides, and the elasticity of the skin under the eyes during consultation, and then design the injection points.

In this article, we go through what causes eye wrinkles, how to tell expression wrinkles from fixed wrinkles, where crow's feet Botox is injected and the treatment steps, aftercare, and side effects.

Crow's Feet Botox: Key Points

• Eye wrinkles form as the orbicularis oculi contracts repeatedly and collagen in the thin skin around the eyes decreases.
• Wrinkles that appear only when you smile are caused by muscle movement, while wrinkles that remain at rest also involve changes in the skin.
• Crow's feet Botox is injected shallowly at two or three points outside the corner of the eye, while under-eye Botox uses a much smaller amount or is not used at all.
• Effects last 2 to 3 months on average, and for ongoing maintenance, injections are repeated every 3 to 4 months.

Why do eye wrinkles form?

The eye area has some of the thinnest skin on the face, and the orbicularis oculi moves every time you blink, smile, or frown. At first these are expression lines visible only when you smile, but as the same spot folds countless times and collagen and elastic fibers decrease, they become fixed wrinkles that leave lines even at rest.

UV exposure and lifestyle habits speed up this process. Heavy sun exposure breaks down collagen in the dermis more quickly, and frequently squinting from glare, narrowing your eyes because of poorly corrected vision, or often rubbing the eye area makes the same spot fold more often. When the fat under the eyes sinks or pushes forward, wrinkles and shadows along that boundary can also look deeper.

How can I tell wrinkles that appear when I smile from wrinkles that are visible even at rest?

How eye wrinkles are treated depends on their cause. By comparing your face in the mirror when you smile broadly and when you are at rest, you can get a sense of which type your wrinkles are closer to.

If two or more of these are mixed, it is best to have the doctor explain separately what changes can be expected from Botox and which parts are handled by other treatments.

Where and how much is crow's feet Botox injected?

How the injection points for crow's feet Botox are chosen

For crow's feet Botox, two or three points are chosen above and below outside the corner of the eye, and small amounts are injected shallowly along the edge of the muscle. Injecting too close to the eye can let the product spread toward the muscles that move the eye, so we keep a distance from the corner of the eye; going too far down toward the cheekbone can affect the muscle that lifts the corners of the mouth, so we limit the range. For faces where wrinkles spread mostly above the corner of the eye, we place more at the upper points, and for faces where they extend down toward the cheekbone, we add lower points but use smaller amounts.

Under-eye Botox uses a much smaller amount than crow's feet and is injected very shallowly. It is used for faces where the muscle under the eye bulges or fine lines form when smiling; for faces where under-eye fat is already puffy or the lower eyelid has lost elasticity, the under-eye area can look more swollen, so we either skip it or greatly reduce the amount. When the forehead and the area between the brows are treated at the same time, strongly weakening the forehead can make the eyebrows drop and the eye area look heavy, so we consider the balance of all three areas together.

Treatment steps at our Suwon clinic

1. Personalized Consultation
2. Numbing Cream
3. Design
4. Disinfection
5. Treatment

The procedure takes about 10 minutes, and you can return to daily activities right away. Wrinkle Botox comes in 1-area and 3-area options. Effects last 2 to 3 months on average depending on how much you use your facial expressions and your lifestyle, and for ongoing maintenance, injections are repeated every 3 to 4 months.

View Wrinkle Botox Procedure Information

Aftercare for Crow's Feet Botox

• You can wash your face and wear makeup starting 2-3 hours after treatment.
• For 3 to 7 days after treatment, avoid heavy drinking, smoking, saunas and Korean bathhouses, hot baths, and strenuous exercise.
• Do not rub the injection sites hard, and avoid strong massages or meridian massage for one month.
• Reduce sunlight reaching the eye area with sunscreen and sunglasses.

With Botox, muscle strength decreases gradually over several days, and changes are often checked around 2 weeks. As the effect wears off, the wrinkles begin to fold again, so the time when wrinkles start to reappear is used as a reference for deciding the interval until the next treatment. Reducing habits such as rubbing or squinting your eyes may help reduce how often the same spot folds.

Crow's Feet Botox Side Effects and Precautions

Small bruises and swelling may occur at the injection sites, but they are mild and subside soon. The embossing effect, in which small bumps rise where the product was injected, subsides within 2 to 3 hours and may last 1 to 2 days depending on skin condition; for the first few days, the eye area may feel tight or your smile may feel a little unnatural.

Rarely, left-right differences, puffiness under the eyes, or weakened eye closure may occur, and these return to normal as the effect wears off. Injecting too close to the eye or giving under-eye Botox to a face with puffy under-eye fat increases these risks, so we limit the position and amount. Please let us know before treatment if you have severe dry eye, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a muscle disorder. Effects and reactions vary from person to person depending on muscle strength and skin condition.

If you cannot close your eyes properly, see double, or your eyelids droop, please contact the clinic right away.

What should be checked before crow's feet Botox?

If any of these apply, start with a wrinkle assessment

• When I smile, wrinkles fan out from the outer corners of my eyes.
• Lines have started to remain beside the corners of my eyes even when I am not smiling.
• When I smile, the area under my eyes bulges or fine lines form.
• The area under my eyes is puffy or hollow and casts shadows.

If two or more apply, it is best to first check whether the wrinkles come from the muscle or from the skin and fat. Whether to proceed with treatment, as well as the method and extent, is decided together during consultation after a medical examination.

In short, the key to crow's feet Botox is first identifying where wrinkles fold when you smile and then injecting small, divided amounts only at those spots.

FAQ

Q. Will crow's feet Botox make my smile look unnatural?

A. We inject small, divided amounts only where the wrinkles fold, aiming to preserve your smile. For the first few days the eye area may feel tight, but from around 2 weeks, when muscle strength has decreased evenly, it usually feels natural.

Q. Can anyone get under-eye Botox?

A. It is used for faces where the muscle under the eye bulges or fine lines form when smiling. If the under-eye fat is already puffy or the lower eyelid has lost elasticity, the under-eye area can look more swollen, so we either skip it or greatly reduce the amount.

Q. When do crow's feet Botox results start to show?

A. Muscle strength begins to decrease gradually over several days after treatment, and the change often settles in around 2 weeks. Timing varies slightly with how much you use your expressions and your muscle strength, so we check how much the wrinkles fold after 2 weeks.

Q. How often should I get crow's feet Botox?

A. Effects last 2 to 3 months on average, and for ongoing maintenance, injections are repeated every 3 to 4 months. Since how long results last varies with how much you use your expressions and your lifestyle, we set the interval by watching when the wrinkles start to fold again.

Q. Will eye wrinkles that remain with a neutral expression also smooth out?

A. Because Botox works by reducing the folding force, lines that are already etched in may remain. For these wrinkles, we plan to reduce how often they fold while also using treatments for skin texture, and how much they fade depends on skin condition.

Q. How can I find out the cost of crow's feet Botox?

A. The cost depends on the number of areas treated. We let you know after confirming during consultation whether you will treat only the eye area or also the forehead, the area between the brows, or under the eyes, and you can also see the 1-area and 3-area options on the treatment information page.