Letters from a Dermatologist · Ingredients
Why the Eye Area Wrinkles First
The eye area is where fine lines show up first. The reason is simple: the skin there is thin, the muscle underneath it moves all day, and the skin has almost no oil glands.
The Thinnest Skin on Your Face
In one ultrasound study of 45 adults, researchers measured skin thickness at 38 sites on the face. The thinnest skin was on the upper eyelid, at about a third the thickness of skin on the tip of the nose. In another ultrasound study of 200 adults, participants in their twenties showed the same pattern around the eyes. Skin at the outer corner of the eye and on the eyelid was thinner than skin on the forehead or cheek.
A Muscle That Never Takes a Day Off
A ring-shaped muscle circles each eye. It closes your eyelids, and it tightens every time you blink, squint, or smile. When it contracts, it pulls the skin at the outer corner into small folds. Those folds are the lines people call crow's feet.
At first, these lines show up only while your face is moving. Doctors call them dynamic lines. Over the years, some of them start to stay even when your face is relaxed. Those are called static lines.
There's also a reason the lines at the corner of the eye run deeper than forehead lines. In a study of facial skin from 58 donors, the forehead had plenty of oil glands, while the outer corner of the eye had almost none. On the forehead, skin with more oil glands had shallower wrinkles. The researchers suspect this is one reason the lines at the corner of the eye run deeper than forehead lines.
The Sun Adds Up
Sun exposure is part of the story too. In a 4.5-year study of 903 adults, people who applied sunscreen every day showed 24% less skin aging than those who used it only when they chose to. In a study of 186 pairs of identical twins, the twin with more sun exposure tended to look older.
By the Numbers
Three Things to Try Tomorrow
- Extend your serum to the outer corners. When you apply your serum, bring it out to where crow's feet form.
- Pat, don't rub. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest on your face, so press products in gently with your ring finger.
- Wear sunglasses outdoors. They shade the thin skin around your eyes, and you'll squint less in bright light.
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