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Why Do Under-Eye Wrinkles Show Up When I Smile?
If you smile in a mirror and watch lines fan out from your eyes, then relax and watch them mostly vanish, you're seeing dynamic wrinkles — and they're a normal part of a face that moves.
Dynamic vs static wrinkles
Dynamic wrinkles appear with movement
Every time you smile, squint or laugh, the ring of muscle around your eye (the orbicularis oculi) contracts and pushes the skin into temporary folds. Because under-eye skin is thin with little padding, those folds show easily. At rest, they soften or disappear.
Static wrinkles stay at rest
Over many years, repeated folding — combined with collagen loss and sun — can set some of those lines into the skin so they remain visible even when your face is relaxed. That's the transition from dynamic to static.
At rest, dynamic lines are minimal — the muscle around the eye is relaxed.
Is it a problem?
On its own, no. Dynamic lines when you smile are a sign your face expresses emotion — everyone has them, including people with all the resources in the world to prevent them. They're not a flaw to fix. Many people simply want to understand them, and whether they'll become permanent.
Do dynamic lines become permanent?
They can, gradually, over years — as collagen declines and the skin loses some of its ability to spring back. This is why prevention focuses on the things that keep skin resilient rather than on stopping yourself from smiling. Compare with the fixed kind in our guide to under-eye wrinkles vs fine lines.
What helps
- Daily sunscreen — the highest-impact habit for keeping skin resilient
- Consistent hydration so skin stays supple and springs back better
- Energy-based support such as EMS and red light, aimed at the look of firmness over time
A quick, honest caveat: an at-home device supports the appearance of the area. It does not stop your muscles moving or freeze expression — that's a different category of treatment entirely, and not what these tools do.
Curious why this area shows movement lines so readily? See why the skin under your eyes is so thin.
Why some people get them earlier
You might notice smile lines around your eyes well before friends the same age — and that's usually down to a mix of factors rather than anything you're doing wrong. Very expressive faces fold the skin more often. Naturally thinner or drier skin shows the folds more readily. Sun exposure and genetics both play a part. And squinting — whether from bright light, screens or needing glasses you don't wear — adds a lot of repeated folding that people rarely count.
The practical takeaway: if you squint at screens all day or skip sunglasses, those are two easy sources of extra folding you can reduce, without ever having to think about your smile.
Prevention without freezing your face
The healthiest way to think about dynamic lines is not to stop moving your face — that's neither realistic nor desirable — but to keep the skin resilient enough to bounce back well. Skin that's well protected and hydrated springs back from folding better and for longer than skin that's dry and sun-damaged.
- Wear sunglasses in bright light to cut both UV and squinting
- Keep screens at a comfortable distance and get your eyes checked if you squint to focus
- Hydrate consistently so skin stays supple and recovers from folding
- Protect with daily sunscreen, the highest-impact habit for skin resilience