Reviewed by Dr. Caio Trentin, MD ·
Where Crow's Feet Come From
The orbicularis oculi is a circular muscle that closes the eye and lifts the cheek into a smile. Every smile, squint, and laugh contracts it, and the thin skin at the outer eye folds along the same lines thousands of times a day. Early in life the skin springs back flat. Over time — with sun exposure, collagen loss, and repetition — those folds begin to linger after the expression relaxes. That is the shift from a dynamic line, visible only in motion, to a static one, visible at rest. Understanding which kind you have is the first decision point, because the two respond to different tools.
Dynamic vs. Static Lines
Dynamic crow's feet appear when the muscle moves and disappear when the face is still. These respond best to a neurotoxin that relaxes the muscle's pull. Static lines remain etched even at rest, reflecting changes in the skin itself rather than muscle motion alone. These often call for a layered plan — muscle relaxation to stop the folding, paired with treatments that rebuild skin quality over time. Most people sit somewhere on a spectrum between the two. The right starting point is determined at consultation, after seeing how your eyes move and rest.
How FORMA Approaches the Area
FORMA uses Xeomin, a purified neurotoxin, to relax the outer fibers of the orbicularis oculi. The placement matters more than the product. The lower fibers that lift the cheek into a smile are left intact; only the fibers driving the lateral fan are softened. This is the difference between a rested look and a frozen one. The eye area also borders muscles that open the eye and hold the brow — careless dosing here can drop a lid or flatten a smile. A conservative first treatment, assessed two weeks later and adjusted if needed, is the safer path than overcorrecting on day one. Dr. Trentin maps each treatment to your anatomy rather than a fixed template.
What Treatment Day Looks Like
A neurotoxin session for crow's feet is brief. Treatment involves a few small injections into the muscle on each side. There is no anesthesia required and no recovery time that keeps you home — most people return to their day directly. Onset is gradual rather than immediate, with the relaxing effect developing over several days and settling within about two weeks. The result is temporary by design; muscle activity returns over months, and maintenance sessions keep the area where you like it. Specific timing and longevity vary by individual and are reviewed at consultation.
Skin Quality Around the Eyes
Relaxing the muscle stops new folding, but it does not rebuild skin that has already thinned or roughened. For static lines and overall texture in this delicate zone, FORMA may layer in treatments that support collagen and skin renewal — microneedling with exosomes, or a biostimulator approach where appropriate. The sequence and combination depend on your skin, your goals, and your timeline, and are built into a plan rather than chosen reactively. The aim throughout is the same: eyes that look rested and expressive, not worked on. If you are weighing what your eyes need, a consultation with Dr. Trentin is the place to map it — every assessment and treatment at FORMA is performed by him directly, not a delegated injector.
Questions
Will treating crow's feet make my smile look frozen?
That is the risk a measured approach is designed to avoid. The muscle at the outer eye both creates the lines and lifts the cheek into a smile. By softening only the fibers responsible for the lateral fan and leaving the smile-lifting fibers intact, the goal is a rested look that still moves naturally. Conservative dosing on a first visit, reviewed and adjusted two weeks later, protects against overcorrection.
How long do results last?
Neurotoxin effects on crow's feet are temporary and wear off gradually as muscle activity returns over a period of months. Most people maintain results with periodic sessions. Exact longevity differs from person to person and is discussed at your consultation; FORMA makes no fixed guarantee on duration.
Is there any downtime?
A neurotoxin session for the eye area typically involves no required recovery time, and most people return to normal activity the same day. Minor redness or small bumps at the injection points usually settle quickly. Any individual precautions are reviewed with Dr. Trentin before treatment.