Getting Rid of Double Chins

An extra layer of fat carried just below the jaw can give you an extra chin – a double chin. You got it because you’re old and fat, or just fat. If you don’t have a fat neck when you get old, what you might have is a “turkey neck,” loose skin hanging down like a wattle. While a double chin is generally more uncomfortable than a turkey neck, both conditions are likely to block your path to becoming the reigning Mr. Universe.

Of course, women get them, too. In fact, women are more likely to be bothered by them. Men tend to think they are devastatingly attractive even with a second (and sometimes a third) chin.

As a double chin is more noticeable when your jaw is slack, it’s a good idea to keep your mouth shut, even when you are awestruck by something. The same goes for looking down… but you’ve probably already figured these things out.

Double Chin Exercises

How did you get it? Chances are, it’s inherited, but maybe you haven’t exercised your neck enough. In most cases exercise will help, but not cure the condition – excess fat must still be lost to completely cure it. Here is an easy exercise specifically for toning up the chin and neck:

Tilt your head to the right. Put a little forward pressure on the back of your head with your opposite hand, not so much that there’s pain – just enough to provide some resistance when you bring your head back to a normal position. Repeat to the left. Do this easy exercise at the office, waiting in line, at traffic lights, well you get the idea.

You can find many more neck exercises at the University of Maryland’s website.

How to Get Rid of Double Chins: Other Ways

• Check your posture. Slouching accentuates a double chin; standing tall straightens the neck and pulls those wattles tighter. So does smiling. Try it. Touch your neck while you’re putting on a big smile. Feel how smiling exercises the facial muscles and pulls your neck tight?
• Make a concerted effort to lose weight. Keep in mind, there is a good medical reason for reducing or eliminating that neck fat. It can cause sleep apnea, a condition that, if not treated, can lead to circulatory problems and even death.
• See your doctor for advice about dieting and also let him check out any fluid problem you may have around your chin area. If you’re retaining fluid, that calls for more than just dieting. He may prescribe a diuretic.
• You also can change your appearance to make the double chin less prominent. Both men and women can style their hair so as not to accentuate the chin. Avoid cuts that put your hair at neck level or longer. Men can either wear open-neck shirts without ties or find the kind of high white collars worn before the 1920’s; these two things either deemphasize the chin or cover it up.Women can use makeup that’s a shade darker than their natural skin color along the jaw line, making it appear more prominent and drawing attention away from the neck. Don’t wear chokers or necklaces that are tight; they don’t flatter a flabby neck. For the same reason, don’t wear dangly earrings, short necklaces, or low turtleneck sweaters. Open necklines are better, though those high collars from days of yore can work as well for women as men.
• For those not afraid of surgeons wielding scalpels near your jugular vein, there is the cosmetic neck lift. This can take the form of Botox injections, liposuction, a cervicoplasty to remove excess skin, platysmaplasty to remove or alter neck muscles, or some combination of these. Botox injections to tighten the skin run about $500 per treatment, and they must be repeated. Liposuction runs upward from $1,500, and a total neck lift can run anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, most medical insurers do not cover this kind of cosmetic surgery.