You are right, this looks like a real smile. I feel your pain with the crinkles, it is easy to overdo them! I haven‘t drawn many smiles like this but I remember the crinkles being a problem.

There are those who lament the appearance of these kinds of things, but I am clearly not one of them. To suggest that one can only be beautiful by looking young is the height of ageism, and I reject it utterly. The marks of age on people are, to me, like kintsugi; they're beautiful evidence of a life lived, damage and healing, sorrow and joy.

Wise words.