We’ve all learned the cruel lesson of accidentally opening our phone when it’s set to front camera mode.
That moment of utter horror, shock and confusion of not comprehending what’s looking back at us. Is that me, the Mucinex guy or Jabba the Hutt?
And while at first horrifying, we are all able to laugh it off because we realize it’s a highly inaccurate representation of what we actually look like, not to mention so commonplace with anyone who owns a smartphone that the awkward occurrence is now a common meme.
But then it happens. You’re tagged in an unflattering side profile pic, and your confidence is shot right back down into a deep, dark abyss next to the friendly Mucinex man.
However, it’s nothing to actually beat yourself up about. While weight gain can certainly lead to a double chin, it’s most often not the main culprit. The submental fat, or isolated deposit of fat cells that accumulate under the chin, can be caused by many other underlying factors such as age, genetics and even posture. So keep that chin up folks, we’ve got a few tricks to diminish that extra, unflattering chinsulation.
Exercise
Duh. We all know that a good diet and adequate exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle and an attractive physique. However for many, no matter how hard or frequently we hit the gym, that stubborn excess chin fat still refuses to budge an inch, especially if we’re genetically predisposed to a hefty jowl.
Thankfully there are several exercises out there designed to target that relentless second chin area. So just as you’d warm up your muscles at the gym before lifting, you’ll want to warm up your neck and jaw before you begin. Do some gentle head rolls, lightly stretch your jaw back and forth, then try out a couple of these.
Bobbing For Apples (AKA The Chin Scoop)
Open your mouth and roll your lower lip over your bottom teeth. Tilt your head down, dip your chin and perform a scooping motion as if you were fishing an apple out of the water. Repeat 8 times.
The Uppercut (AKA The Fist)
Place your chin on your fist. Slowly open and close your mouth using your fist to create resistance against your jaw. Repeat 5 times.
Cute Upstairs Neighbor (AKA The Kiss)
Stand up, look up at the ceiling, pucker your lips and hold that smooch for five seconds. Relax your lips and return your head to a neutral position. Repeat 15 times.
Freshly Squeezed (AKA The Chin Press)
Place a resistance ball of 5-10 inches under your chin. Press your chin down against the ball and release. Repeat 25 times.
Work That Cream
As we age, our skin loses its elasticity which leads to the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and saggy skin. Science stepped in and relief has been found in the numerous firming and tightening creams and serums in today’s market. No matter what age you are, these collagen boosting moisturizers are beneficial in fighting the dreaded turkey jowl.
Help your product reach its full tightening potential by applying it correctly. Start at the base of your neck and and work the cream towards the tip of your chin in an upward sweeping motion. The upward motion is essential as it helps promote the tightening and lifting of the extra flopping skin. Applying products in a downward motion tugs and stretches the skin in the wrong direction, contributing to its droop.
If you’d like to further work the product into the skin and de-puff the area a bit, consider giving yourself a lymphatic drainage massage. Not only does massaging the lymph nodes along your jawline reduce fluid retention, it also helps tone and lift the jaw muscles, resulting in firmer looking skin and a less pronounced double chin.
How To
Apply the product in the proper upward sweeping motion from the base of the neck to the tip of the chin. Then move to the left side of your neck, and with the same sweeping motion, use your fingers to move the lotion up to your jawline. After repeating on the right side, take both knuckles of both index fingers and have them meet under the jawline directly under the center of the chin. Have the knuckles of both middle fingers meet on top of your jawline so your two fingers on each hand form a V-shape, enabling you to pinch the skin in between the knuckles. Run your knuckles, with a good amount of pressure, from the center of the chin, upwards along the jawline to the ears and then back down the base of your neck. Repeat this technique 5 times in a row, a few times a week.
Hair and Makeup
Now that we’ve discussed ways to diminish the chin, let’s chat about ways to cover it up, sans turtleneck.
Contouring
This shady makeup trick has been around for centuries, but made a huge comeback circa 2016 with the youtube tutorials and popularization done by the Kardashian clan. It’s simply the process of using a darker shade of makeup or bronzer to create a more sculpted, defined, slimmer looking face without enduring a bunch of needlework. And while the trend is currently losing momentum in favor of a more natural look, it will certainly never go out of style with your double chin.
How To
You want to choose a bronzer or contour stick 2-3 tones darker than your natural skin tone or foundation. Start at the ear on one side of your face, bringing the product down underneath the jawline to the double chin. Repeat on the opposite side of your face, then continue to create a V-shape beneath the chin and on to the neck. Use a blending brush to blend down and out to diffuse the intensity and blend away any harsh lines. Start with a light hand as it’s easy to add more but hard to take away too much. Pros also suggest playing around with darker lipsticks or shiny glosses to accentuate the lips, further distracting from the chin.
Hair
Longer hair elongates the neck so try to keep your cut below the collarbone. If short hair is your thing, keep in mind that the bigger the hair, the smaller the chin, so layer that bob or pixie cut to add some volume. Curling in the ends and adding side partitions are also methods used by stylists to slim the jawline.
Strike A Pose
Posture is pivotal when it comes to a double chin. Everyday activities such as looking down at our phones or slouching over our laptops weakens the platysma muscle, or the muscle that connects the neck to the chin. When this muscle isn’t being used, the skin surrounding the area loses elasticity and begins to sag.
A surefire trick used by photographers to hide the double chin is this – stand tall to lengthen your silhouette, elongating the spine from the neck down. Relax the shoulders, stick the chin out forward, facing it down slightly, and voila! No more second chin. They also suggest the optical illusion of shooting from an above angle, therefore lifting the chin to the camera and tightening the neck muscles for an overall slimmer, more chiseled jawline.
