Lessen a Double Chin
Double chins are often a natural result of aging or gaining a little weight. If you'd like to slim down your chin area, there are several approaches you can take. Getting the right haircut, doing chin exercises, and having good posture are easy changes you can make right away.
Contents
Steps
Making Your Chin Look Smaller
- Use makeup to strategically cover it up. Try to make your jawline feature more prominently than your neck by using a powder that is a shade darker than your skin tone. The powder should be blended in from ear to ear and into the neck area. Draw attention away from the neck area with colorful blush and interesting eye makeup. If you can't get it right yourself, see a makeup artist to show you how to do this.
- Wearing eyeliner and mascara makes the eyes look larger and draws attention away from the chin.
- Minimize attention to your lower face by wearing neutral lipstick shades.
- Change your hairstyle. Don't have a haircut that rests right at the level of your chin, or very long hair, because both styles will draw more attention to your chin. A medium cut just below the chin is your best bet. Here are a few options:
- Go for a long bob. This classic cut looks great on people with larger chins. It should stop an inch or two below your chin line.
- Get an angled haircut. Have the longer hair in front, shorter hair in the back. The longer hair in front reduces the size of and draws less attention to the chin.
- Try layered waves. A full hairstyle balances the face and draws attention away from the chin.
- Grow a beard. If you're a guy, having the right facial hair can go a long way toward making your chin look smaller. Grow out your beard all the way to your neck. Keep it groomed neatly, but allow it to be thick. This will even things out in your chin and neck area.
- Don't wear choker necklaces. They are tight on the neck, emphasizing the double chin and possibly leaving red marks. If you still want this look, there are necklaces that have a similar design to dog collars, but hang like regular necklaces.
- Consider your clothes. Are the clothes you're wearing making your chin look larger? Wear a broad, open neckline to draw attention away from the chin. Avoid high-necked shirts and blouses, including turtlenecks and tops with fancy detailing.
- Check your posture. How do you stand? If you are slumping, you will be creating unnecessary lumps and bumps on your body, including around your chin area because the fat seeks infirm areas to settle in. Stand up tall, put your head up, shoulders back and uncurve that spine. See a professional physiotherapist who can recommend simple but effective exercises to improve your posture. Keep active.
Exercising Your Chin Area
- Do chin lifts. This exercise helps to strengthen and tighten the muscles in your face and neck. To do it, stand with your back and neck straight. Raise your chin toward the ceiling and look at the ceiling. Pucker your lips toward the ceiling and hold for a count of 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times. Do the exercise every day for best effect.
- Roll your neck. Stand with your spine upright. Turn your head to the side so that your chin is parallel to your shoulder. Your eyes should be looking off to the side, too. Slowly roll your head downward, then up to the other side. Repeat 10 times.
- Exercise your platysma. This is the muscle that runs down your neck from your jaw. Stand with your neck erect. Tighten the tendons in your jaw by pulling your lips up over your teeth and turning the corners of your mouth downward, almost as if you were frowning. Hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat the exercise ten times.
- Use a tennis ball. Place it against your neck and hold it there with your chin. Press your chin against the ball tightly, then slightly release. Repeat ten times.
- Chew gum. This is an easy exercise to do, since it hardly requires any thought. Chewing gum keeps your jaw muscles strong, helping to reduce a double chin.
Losing Weight
- Do general exercise. Exercising your whole body to lose weight will eventually reduce fat in the facial area, too. In fact, it's very difficult to lose weight in just your face, and that's often the last place to thin out. Starting a steady exercise routine with cardio and strength training can put you on the path toward a thinner face.
- Running, swimming, and biking are all great cardio activities. Plan to do one of these activities for at least 1/2 hour 4 times a week.
- Go to the gym and meet with a personal trainer to get acquainted with a strength training routine. Learn how to lift weights to work out all of your muscle groups.
- Limit your calorie intake. This reduces the amount of fat you store in your body and your face. Satisfy your hunger with fruits, salad and low calorie food items. If you are really serious about getting rid of your double chin, losing weight can definitely help.
- Don't try anything restrictive or faddish. Your change must be one that you can carry on for the rest of your life. Small, consistent losses are what you should be aiming for and maintaining.
- Your diet should include plenty of fiber, fruits, vegetables and water. See a nutritionist, dietician or doctor for advice and encouragement.
Going Deeper
- See your doctor. If there is a fluid problem around your chin area, it may need further consideration. If there is simply fluid retention, ask your doctor to refer you to a masso-therapist who can expertly massage the area to try to unblock the fluid and assist with better posture and relaxation.
- Appreciate yourself for who you are. Your appearance is more than your genetic features. How you dress, how you present yourself, how you communicate with others, how you share your sense of you with others and how much confidence you have in yourself as a worthy human being are all worth 1000 times more than the appearance of a double chin.
Tips
- Don't spend too many hours slumped over a computer everyday. If you must work with a computer all day, do stretches every half an hour.
- If you have a genetic tendency towards a double chin (i.e. look at your parents, other family members), then you have even more reason to exercise and eat healthily to avoid getting a double chin or to reduce one you may already have.
- Puffy scarves can cover up a double chin. However, avoid turtle necks or high-necked clothing as these emphasize the chin area.
- We live in an age of the "youth culture" and sadly we've forgotten how to age gracefully through acceptance of the reality of human anatomy. There is freedom and wisdom in growing older; gains that looking young will never outdo.
- Moisturize your neck area and chin before doing neck exercise to avoid and prevent wrinkles.
- If you have a fat chin then wear a striking hat, a bright colored shirt or patterned pants/skirt. This will draw attention away from your face.
Warnings
- Don't tan too much, or at the very least, cover up your neck and face region; the sun helps to break down the skin's elasticity earlier than the normal course of aging.
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