Fitness for the Face and Throat

There are a wide variety of reasons for having a double chin, including factors such as age, obesity, and genetic causes. No one could deny that having a well-defined jaw line with adequately controlled cheek and throat muscles is a major element in determining facial beauty. While losing weight by following a regular fitness routine helps to remove the extra fat in the chin/throat area for most people, for many others this area simply doesn’t seem to respond to exercise. This eventually leads to the “lollipop effect,” wherein a person has a slim body and an oversized head due to excess fat and water in that region of the body.

Listed below are some techniques that help to tighten your double chin and neck muscles. It’s important to pay attention to your posture when performing these exercises, since many times loose chin and throat skin/muscles are caused by poor posture. For that reason, having better posture is the first key to achieving the optimal structure of your face.

Chin Lifts

These exercises work on the muscles of the chin, neck, throat, cheeks, and jaw. They are also ideal exercises for relieving shoulder soreness and cervical issues.

1. Straighten your spine and hold it that way.
2. Tilt your head back so you can see the ceiling.
3. Firmly pucker your lips, as if you’re kissing the ceiling.
4. Maintain this pose for a full minute, relax, and repeat. Do this several times a day for best results.

Neck Roll

1. Straighten your spine and hold it.
2. Breathe in while turning your head to one side, until your chin reaches your shoulder.
3. Breathe out slowly while rolling your head down so that your chin touches your chest.
4. Breathe in while turning your head around to the opposite side, and then repeat the procedure five to 10 times for a full session.

Jaw Release

The lion’s pose (singhasana) of yoga is very beneficial for enhancing your cheekbone and jaw line definition. That’s because it targets upper body parts that a lot of other asanas do not, namely the jaw, mouth, neck, and tongue.

1. Straighten your spine and hold it that way.
2. Position both heels below the perineum with soles upturned, and rest your hands on the knees as they touch the floor.
3. Open up your mouth while you practice the chin lock (jalandhara mudra) and rest your eyes on the tip of your nose.

Platysma Workout

The platysma is a large muscle running from the jaw line to the shoulder, and flexing it can help keep the chin and neck taut. To tone and strengthen this muscle, perform the following exercise.

1. Draw back your lips as far as you can.
2. Part your lips a little to stimulate the jaw muscles, while keeping them drawn back. This should make the tendons across your throat bulge a bit.
3. Move the lower part of your jaw up and down approximately five to 10 times.

While you won’t see overnight results with these exercises, when practiced regularly they can vastly improve the throat and neck muscles, leading to a more sculpted face that blends in proportionally to the rest of your body. More severe drooping that doesn’t respond to exercise may require hiring a cosmetic throat doctor to surgically tighten the face and neck area.