Laugh lines around the eyes.
The wrinkle people like most – until it is there without laughing. How to keep the smile and soften only the lines at rest.
Crow's feet are expression – and sometimes too much of it. When botulinum toxin softens the lines around the eyes without taking the smile
What is behind it.
What is behind it: the ring muscle around the eye contracts when smiling and folds the thin skin at the eye corner. In young years that smooths out immediately; with less collagen and sun damage the lines stay – first when smiling, then at rest too. Sun is the strongest factor here.
Botulinum toxin: a few units at the eye corner relax the outer part of the muscle. The lines become softer, the smile remains – if dosed subtly. Too much dose takes the eyes out of the smile ('toothpaste smile') and can lower the cheek pad. Effect after two weeks, three to four months.
Skin boosters and polynucleotides: for fine crinkles under and beside the eye at rest that do not come from expression – they improve the skin itself. Often the better choice with thin, dry eye skin or in combination.
Keep them? Laugh lines belong to a lively face. The goal is not to remove them but to prevent them looking tired at rest. Anyone who wants to keep them in motion says so – and is treated accordingly.
Is this for me?
A treatment can make sense if …
- the lines at the eye corner stay visible without smiling
- you look more tired in photos than you feel
- the eye skin is thin and dry
- you want a soft, not a motionless result
Rather not suitable if …
- you have an eye disease or recent eye surgery
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- you expect completely smooth eye corners when laughing
- you have eye bags that you perceive as wrinkles (different solution)
These notes replace no examination. Whether and which treatment is an option is clarified in the consultation under § 630e BGB – sometimes the answer is: none.
A question about Laugh lines? Send us a short WhatsApp message – we usually reply the same working day.
Ask via WhatsAppThe essentials.
Important note.
This text is general information. It replaces neither a medical examination nor the consultation required before any treatment under German law (§ 630e BGB). Whether and which treatment is suitable for you can only be said after examination and consultation. No treatment results are promised.
Frequently asked questions.
Will my smile change?
Not with the right dose – the eyes smile along. With too much it can look rigid; hence start small.
What does treating crow's feet cost?
As one zone from €190; combined with frown line and forehead from €360.
Sources and further reading.
- NHS: non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Medical Association North Rhine – patient information
- § 630e BGB – duty to inform before treatment (German Civil Code)
- DGBT – German Society for Aesthetic Botulinum Toxin Therapy
- AWMF – German clinical practice guidelines
External links open in a new window; their operators are responsible for their content. Medical responsibility for this page: Katayoun Mostaghimi, specialist in general medicine. Last updated: 2026-10-05.
Talk to the physician.
Book on DoctolibOr simply call: +49 1520 8367711 · info@vivaderm.de
Or start with a consultation only: consultation appointment (€50, credited against a treatment)