Here’s the thing: Under-eye wrinkles are inevitable—and we all get them. Think about when even a small child smiles? They get crow’s feet and under-eye wrinkles. The concern arises when those lines stick around, even when we don’t move our facial expression or muscles.
Eye wrinkles get the lion’s share of the attention because they tend to be some of the first to pop up. This is because our skin around the eyes is also incredibly thin; our skin already thins as we age (due to a loss of collagen), so the area under our eyes is usually the first to sag. In fact, according to board-certified dermatologist and founder of MMSkincare Ellen Marmur, M.D., our entire eye socket sinks in as we age: “The bones thin, the fat shifts, and the blood vessels wither, providing less vibrant skin and more wrinkles,” she tells mbg.
Your eyes also emote quite a bit throughout the day (not to mention throughout your lifetime), making it a vulnerable spot for fine lines. According to Marmur, there are over 10 muscles around our eyes squinting, smiling, and expressing, and constantly contracting those muscles can create wrinkles. It’s another reason the area tends to be one of the first places to show fine lines and crow’s feet as we age—think of them as signs you’ve had your fair share of belly laughs throughout your life.
Finally, because the epidermis is so thin, the skin under our eyes is a lot more sensitive to sun damage, pollution, and oxidative stress.