Why you have a double chin

A double chin often comes with overweight people, but it treats everyone equally –even slim people can have a double chin. Compared with extra fat in the belly, it may be somewhat more frustrating as the chin fat is hard to lose through a simple exercise.

Let’s first see some factors that could cause a double chin.

What causes a double chin

A double chin, also called submental fat, means an extra layer of fat below your chin. It may be caused by a series of reasons ranging from genetics to lifestyle.

The first one is genetics. If your family members have loose and double chins, you are more likely to develop one as well.

As you age, your skin will also start to lose elasticity which may lead to a double chin.

Or if you have a poor posture, the muscles and skin below your chin tend to be weaker and develop a double chin afterward.

The last one is diet and exercise. A diet containing a large amount of unhealthy, processed food and lack of exercise both contribute to weight gain and a double chin.

How to treat double chin

Chin exercises

There are some chin exercises that can help to strengthen your submental muscles. You don’t need any special types of equipment. Just do these exercises 10-15 times per day, and you’ll see a difference after a period of time.

• 1. Pucker your lips: Pucker your lips while tilting your head, looking at the ceiling.
• 2. Stretch your tongue: Stretch your tongue upward and forward while looking straight ahead. Keep this position for about 10 seconds.
• 3. Jut your bottom jaw: Jut your lower jaw forward while tilting your head backward. Hold it for 5-10 seconds.
• 4. Exercise with balls: You can also press your chin against a ball (9-10 inches would be fine).

Full-body exercise and diet

Besides chin exercise, full-body exercise will also help lose weight and reduce your lower chin fat, such as cardio exercise or strength training. As for your diet, we suggest that you eat more vegetables and fruits daily, and stay away from junk food that’s high in calories and unhealthy fat.

Invasive procedure

Sometimes your doctor may recommend you to look for invasive procedures, like lipolysis and mesotherapy. The former means using liposuction or heat to melt away your chin fat, while the latter is known as a similar but milder way to eradicate the fat cells.