Hi, Jamie! I was really spooked to see my fine lines creep up too! They appeared more like crosshatching on my cheeks, which prompted me to start sleeping on satin pillowcases. Very alarming!
Do you spend a lot of time in the sun? What are the environmental factors? And where are the lines? Outer corners, inner corners, or just generally everywhere?
As for cost-
The cost of retin a micro is roughly $100. Some insurance policies will cover this, if the use is determined to be for acne. It can be irritating to the under eye, so it's important to go lightly and stay close to the cheekbones.
A professional lactic acid peel will average between $50 and $75 (most derms offer packages because repeated treatments are preferred to yield the most dramatic results).
A home LED device- between $150 and $500 and up. There are a lot of reputable companies and retailers getting on board with LED therapy, so the cost of personal LED lamps really run the entire gamut. You can purchase hand held wands at Nordstrom, Sephora, directly from the manufacturer online (Acne Lamp, LightStim, Quasar), or just about anywhere! It's important to check the specs and make sure you are getting the highest quality medical grade bulbs, though.
If you are living on the budget of a college kid, which is challenging, there are some products on the market that are formulated by companies who put out designer brand peels. Like Obagi and Refinity are designer chemical peels. Refinity has a good line, which is all based on the ingredients in their popular chemical peel treatment (lactic acid, glycolic acid, Cosmoderm7) and they're not outrageously unaffordable.
You could also look into copper peptide serums, which are found all over the place. A lot of people swear by copper peptides for firming up the under eye area and helping with dark circles, but copper peptide formulas tend to be strong, irritating, and more expensive.