Exercises and Other Natural Ways to Get Rid of Double Chin
A double chin often occurs when fat builds up in the area under the chin (called the submental area). However, it’s not only submental fat that can cause a double chin. Aging and loss of muscle tone under the chin can cause the skin under the chin to sag. A double chin can make you self-conscious especially when you look at yourself in photographs or in the mirror.
Because the extra layer of fatty tissue under the skin is associated with weight gain, usually, losing weight is the best natural way to eliminate a double chin by losing chin and neck fat. Some people have also found double chin exercises helpful in toning up the muscles under the chin area. These exercises for double chin can also help skin under the chin stop sagging.
The common medical procedure for improving double chin is chin liposuction. Chin liposuction aims to emphasize the line of the lower jaw. However one of the complications of chin liposuction is a rake like scar, especially noted when the person tips his/her head back. So before you spend money on this expensive and drastic procedure, you can try the following ways to help you lose a double chin naturally. These natural methods can help to strengthen your chin muscles and get rid of fat under your chin.
What Causes a Double Chin
A double chin can affect people of all ages. You get a double chin when fatty tissue builds up in your submental area, or under the chin area, and gives your face a fuller appearance. The excess fat in your chin and neck tends to sag and can stretch the skin to leave you with a double chin. Sometimes, after losing a lot of fat around the face, you may left with sagging skin under your chin.
Although weight gain and aging are often associated with sagging under chin skin, hereditary factors are also associated with a double chin. So, some people are predisposed to developing a double chin than others.
Also, as we age, the skin around the face and under the chin loses some of its elasticity and starts to sag.
A double chin can also look larger if you wear clothing with tight collars. These can put extra pressure on the area around your neck and push up the skin under your chin.
Exercises to Get Rid of a Double Chin
Fullness under the chin or sagging skin can be quite upsetting. Some people resort to surgery or injections to get rid of a double chin. However, there are many natural ways for reducing your double chin. For example, you can try the following simple exercises for improving the appearance of your face to help you get rid of a double chin.
To get best results and help get rid of sagging skin under your chin, these double chin exercises should be performed daily to help tighten, tone and build up the platysma muscle. The platysma muscle runs down from your jaw along your neck.
Before we look at the role that dieting plays in getting rid of the fatty tissue under your chin, let’s look at some easy double chin exercises.
1. Open your mouth
One of the easiest ways to tone up the muscles around your chin is to open your mouth as wide as you can. This targets the platysma muscle and helps to improve the appearance of a sagging chin.
Here are the steps to perform this double chin exercise:
- Open your mouth as wide as you can.
- Stick out your tongue as far as you can.
- Try to touch your chin with your tongue.
- Count to 10 and repeat 10 times.
- Repeat this exercise for a double chin 2 times a day to help tighten your neck muscles and keep them toned to prevent sagging.
2. Hanging head
The second effective way to exercise your chin muscles is to hang your head over the edge of a bed or sofa. This double chin exercise also helps to tone your platysma muscle and strengthen it.
You should do the following steps to tone your under-chin area:
- Lie on a bed or sofa and hang your head over the edge.
- Lift your chin towards your chest to work the neck muscles.
- Hold while counting to 10 and repeat 10 times and relax.
It is best to do this chin exercise slowly without any jerking motions.
3. Chin lifts
To strengthen and tighten the muscles in your face and neck, try some chin lifts. This exercise can be effective to not only tighten sagging skin under the chin, but also help tone your facial muscles.
Here are the steps to carry out chin lifts and tone the muscles on your face:
- Stand with your back and neck straight.
- Raise your chin toward the ceiling and purse your lips as tight as you can.
- Hold the “kissing lips” position for a count of 10 and relax your muscles.
- Repeat 10 times twice a day to help get rid of a double chin that has formed after weight loss.
4. Roll you neck
Rolling your neck is a great way to tone your muscles under your chin and relax at the same time. Neck rolls are great exercises for your muscles in the area under your chin, face, jaw and neck. You can also do theses double chin exercises at home, in the office, while seated or standing.
Follow these steps to tone your facial muscles with neck rolls:
- Slowly and carefully turn your head to the side so that your chin is parallel to your shoulder.
- Make sure that your eyes are looking off to the side.
- Slowly roll your head downward then up to the other side.
- Repeat the neck roll 10 times and do the exercise 2 times a day to help tighten sagging skin under your chin.
5. Platysma exercise
You can also target the platysma muscle that runs from your jaw down your neck. The platysma exercise can help exercise the area under your chin to tighten up sagging skin and tone your neck muscles.
This is what you should do to use this double chin exercise to help tone your submental area under your chin:
- Stand with your neck erect.
- Pull your lips up over your teeth to tighten the tendons in your jaw.
- Turn the corners of your mouth downward as if you were frowning.
- Hold the position for a count of 10, relax and repeat 10 times.
6. Tennis ball double chin exercise
Another great and easy way to tone up the tissue under your chin and help reduce the appearance of a double chin is to exercise with a tennis ball.
This is what you should do to help get rid of a double chin:
- Place a tennis ball against your throat and hold it there with your chin.
- Press your chin as tightly against the ball as possible and release slightly.
- Repeat 10 times.
- Do the tennis ball exercise for a double chin twice a day to help keep your under-chin area toned and slim.
Lose Your Double Chin with Weight Loss
To get rid of fat that is accumulating under your chin, you should make some lifestyle choices to lose weight. Usually, when you lose body fat, fat around your face is often the first to go. So, you should be able to quickly lose a double chin and get rid of unsightly neck rolls when you start losing weight.
In order to reduce the fullness under your chin and get rid of accumulated fatty chin tissue you’ll need to burn more calories than you consume.
Here are some great ways to lose a double chin and excess pounds at the same time:
Consume less saturated fats and refined sugars
Too much unhealthy fats in your diet clog your arteries and cause excess fat to build up under your chin, in your face, around your belly, and on your thighs.
Increase fiber intake and eat more green leafy vegetables
You can help to burn fat from your chin by eating more fiber. Fiber also helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer and curbs cravings and snacking. You will soon notice that you lose the extra layer of fat from your double chin.
Boost weight loss with superfoods
Help to get rid of the fat under your chin by incorporating probiotics to help with digestion, berries to boost your immune system, and drinking green tea to help lose weight.
Exercise to get rid of a double chin
Cardiovascular exercises like cycling, running, and swimming are great ways to lose a double chin fast. Exercising will also boost your metabolism, which will also help lose weight faster.
Apart from using diet and exercise to lose excess fat from under your chin and your waistline, there are some other excellent life hacks for weight control. For example, you can make some simple tweaks to help slim your face and lose weight quickly. Or, you can try my 9 secrets of losing weight without dieting to get rid of face fat.
Remember, that if your double chin is the result of carrying around too much body fat, it will take patience to achieve the desired results. However, you will not only feel more self-confident because you no longer have a double chin, but you will feel healthier as well.
Other Ways to Get Rid of a Double Chin
Because a double chin is often the result of weight gain, you should try to lose weight from your body to reduce the fatty layer of tissue under your chin. It could also be that you have a puffy face which adds to the appearance of a double chin.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to target weight loss from a specific part of your body. However, there are some specific ways to lose weight and prevent your body retaining too much fluid. As well as helping you get rid of a double chin, these easy steps will also help to improve your general health.
Drink plenty of fluids
Drinking plenty of fluids can help to get rid of a double chin by helping you lose weight naturally and prevent water retention.
Dr. Brunilda Nazario on WebMD recommends drinking plenty of water to assist with weight loss. Dr. Nazario says that water helps to boost metabolism and helps the body work more efficiently. Drinking a glass of water before a meal will help you feel fuller and eat less.1
If water retention is causing you to have a puffy face and a double chin, then drinking plenty of water can help to reduce water retention. The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology reported that drinking enough fluid helps to prevent a buildup of toxins in the body and flush out the kidneys.2
Drinking plenty of water every day will help you avoid the damaging effects of dehydration. You can tell if you need to improve your fluid intake by checking the color of your urine.
Reduce salt
Reducing salt in your diet can help to reduce the appearance of a double chin and puffy face. Cutting out excess salt from your food will also lower your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The journal Clinical and Experimental Hypertension found that reducing dietary sodium prevents the body from storing excess fluid. This will help to reduce puffiness around your face and prevent swollen ankles and hands.3
Cut out sugar and reduce simple carbohydrates
Cutting out sugar and reducing your simple carbohydrate intake will help to reduce your double chin by helping you lose neck and chin fat.
Dr. Rob Hicks on WebMD says that any sugar that the body doesn’t use gets stored as body fat. Also, reducing the amount of simple carbohydrate intake will make the body burn more fat and leads to weight loss.4
So, significantly reducing your sugar and carb intake will help you get rid of your double chin and also help to shed excess pounds from your waist.
It’s especially important to reduce you sugar intake if you notice these signs of consuming too much sugar. There are many effective ways to reduce your sugar intake.
Avoid excess alcohol
Alcohol is high in calories and drinking too much alcohol will contribute to a buildup of fat under your chin and around your neck. Too much alcohol can also damage your liver and kidney function which will lead to water retention and a puffy face.5
Dr. Laura Martin on WebMD commented on a study about the relationship of alcohol and weight. The study found that people who drank more than 4 drinks a day were more likely to be overweight or obese.6
Read these related articles:
- 10 Ways to Naturally Tighten Skin After Weight Loss
- Simple & Effective Ways to Lose Weight from your Face
- 12 Simple Tweaks for Weight Loss and Great Health
- WebMD. Water and weight.
- J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Jun;19(6):1041-3.
- Clin Exp Hypertens A. 1987;9(7):1243-58.
- WebMD. Carbohydrates.
- NIAAA. Alcohol’s impact on kidney function.
- WebMD. Moderate drinking linked to weight control.