understand its causes and how to reduce it

A double chin does not have to be the result of an accumulation of fat, it can be caused by different factors. Find out how to tone the oval of your face to say goodbye to a double chin!

Double chin can result from several factors, including genetic factors, as well as an accumulation of lymph or fat. The lymphatic system works in parallel with the blood system: it is responsible for collecting fluids and it is an essential part of the body's immune defense. The lymph does not benefit from the heart's pump to circulate. This can lead to a more or less significant stagnation of the lymph, especially in immobile areas of the face such as the chin. This is what causes a double chin. " We have a conjunction of muscular relations with an accumulation of matter which can be either lymph, or fat, or both. ", explains Sylvie Lefranc, Hatha yoga teacher and specialist in facial yoga.

For the majority of people, the double chin comes from problems with the neck, the nape of the neck or the trapezius caused by a bad posture. "There is a certain logic. Everything is drawn to the ground. When looking at your smartphone or reading a book, your head is constantly tilted down, the lymph therefore does not circulate well. It is much slower and much heavier than blood, which is why when you keep a bad position, you can find yourself a little swollen under the eyes or have a more present double chin. ", specifies Ania, founder of Faceyoga.studio.

When you tilt your head forward, all the muscles in the back of your neck are strained to hold it. Conversely, the muscles of the neck are completely relaxed and therefore completely underused. This compresses the blood flow and promotes stagnation of the lymph. When the lymph stagnates in the area under the chin, it can create a double chin.

Lymph nodes in the collarbones are used to remove lymph from all over the face. When this area is compressed, the lymph nodes can no longer evacuate the lymph. Bad posture on a daily basis but also a bad position for sleeping can cause problems such as a double chin. "When you sleep in the wrong position, all the muscles in the neck are compressed», Emphasizes Ania by recommending sleeping on the back, because no member of the body undergoes compression in this position. It can prevent bags under the eyes and double chin. " When you sleep in the wrong position, all the muscles in the neck are compressed. The worst is to sleep on your stomach. When sleeping in this position, the head is turned to the side and one side of the neck is compressed. This creates an imbalance, the lymph does not circulate well and we can then have the face swollen when waking up. So you have to try to negotiate with yourself to fall asleep on your back or at least on your side. You can place a small cushion under the knees to make it easier to fall asleep on your back ", she advises.

How to avoid a double chin?

To avoid a double chin, the first step is to keep your chin parallel to the ground. Double chin is usually formed because lymph collects in the area under the chin. There are creams to treat the problem, but "This is not enough. You have to be kind to yourself, being aware of your body and asking yourself: 'Is my posture benevolent'. From a holistic point of view, you do not dissociate the face the rest of the body. The problem is localized, but there are all the interdependent meridians ", reveals Ania.

It is then possible to perform a massage to help the lymph to evacuate, the lymphatic drainage. For this, you can use your fingers, a jade roller or an instrument called the Gua Sha, which perfectly matches the curves of the face in order to massage them. It is about pressing in a benevolent fashion, with a continuous outward movement to circulate the lymph, to drain it and to force it from the area under the chin. To reduce the double chin, work from the center of the chin to the corner of the jaw. We create movements towards the outside. " We only fold our index fingers, then we fold all the other fingers, letting the indexes stick out slightly. Position the index fingers at the level of the chin bone and create small movements starting from the center outwards to the corner of the jaw. With these small movements, we help the body to detoxify. ", advises Ania.

The facial yoga teacher recommends practicing this massage regularly, but also hydrate well by drinking water, since it helps the body to detoxify. Tea, coffee, juice or any other drink will not have the same effect as water on the body.

It is important to help the body to eliminate the stagnant lymph so that it does not become chronic and the double chin problem does not get worse.

The massage can be done with an oil, a hydrosol, a cream or even without any product. We are careful not to press too hard on the skin of the chin and not to wrinkle it. The Gua Sha is a tool that was originally used in an ancient Chinese technique. It existed mainly for the body before being used for the face. The goal was to scratch the body. However, for the face, a gentler massage is performed. We do not just caress the skin in order to act in depth, but it should not hurt. Movements are always done from the inside to the outside on the face. At the level of the neck, we start from the chin to the collarbones.

You can simply use your hands, but also a softer jade roller. Gua Sha allows more emphasis and action on the meridians and on problem areas such as the double chin. Gua Sha is not worn on the chin and the rest of the face if the skin is dry. A cream or a vegetable oil, preferably organic, is applied beforehand. Gua Sha can be used hot for a more relaxing side or cold for a more shaping side. Be careful though, it should not be placed in the freezer.

For visible results, a lymphatic massage is performed at least once a day, in the morning or in the evening. "Under a minute, it doesn't matter. If you can take 5 minutes to do a little massage to help wake up the circulation, that's fine. If you can take 10, that's fine.", Ania admits.

Attention, do not circulate the lymph in case of diseases of the lymphatic system and nodes, lymph and blood, diabetes, the presence of tumors, acute migraine, the presence of inflammatory processes, liver diseases , kidneys, heart and cardiovascular system, thrombophlebitis, oncological or infectious diseases of rheumatic lesions of the skin and purulent inflammations. It is also not recommended during pregnancy and lactation. It is advisable to seek advice from your doctor before performing the massage.

What exercises to reduce double chin?

Facial yoga can also help reduce double chin. Indeed, this includes exercises that will act on the area under the chin. Facial yoga works all the muscles, which improves lymphatic drainage. It is also possible to work in a more targeted way under the chin to reduce the double chin. Sylvie Lefranc advised us some gestures to tone the chin and neck to find in her book Facial Yoga: 5 minutes a day to rejuvenate.

To tone the neck

Look straight ahead then place your fingertips in the neck, under the chin. Slowly tilt your head back, letting your fingers run down the neck.
Then bring your head forward and repeat the exercise twice. Then keep your head tilted back and press your fingertips over the collarbones. Then unhook the lower jaw and stretch the corners of your lips down. Hold the position for a few seconds.

To strengthen the chin muscle

Place your right elbow in your left hand and the fingers of your right hand flat under your chin. Seek to simultaneously increase the pressure of your chin with your fingers and the pressure of your fingers under your chin. Then hold the contraction for about ten seconds and repeat the exercise twice. Then pat under the chin alternately with the fingers of both hands placed in a tray.

How to perform lymphatic drainage?

With both hands, massage the neck, letting the hands go up to the center and down to the sides. Place your index and middle fingers in scissors, position your middle fingers in front of the ears and index fingers behind. Use back and forth movements with the hands on either side of the ears and along the jawbone to activate lymphatic circulation and drainage.

Then place your fingers at the bottom of the cheeks and slide them upwards so as to grasp the entire cheek to move it up while smoothing the nasolabial fold. Place your thumbs under your chin and curl your fingers so that the index fingers are in contact with the face.

Pinch and pull the oval up between your thumbs and forefingers along the chin line, starting from the center of the chin towards the ears. Place both hands at the base of the right cheek and pull up the material of the cheek with both hands one after the other.

Do the same on the other side. Make fists with your hands, and place them at the base of the cheeks. While firmly pressing the joints on the cheeks, let the hands go up to the cheekbones. Keep the pressure of your fists under the cheekbones for a few moments, then slide your knuckles outward.

Place your fingers under your eyebrows and lift the eyebrows with gentle pressure. Place the fingers of the left hand on the left temple and gently stretch the crow's feet with the fingertips of the right hand, maintaining the stretch for a few seconds. Do the same on the right temple.
Place the index and middle fingers at the beginning of the eyebrows and stretch the frown line outward. Place the index and middle fingers firmly on the forehead so as to open and smooth the lateral lines of the forehead.

Finish your massage by massaging your entire face, moving both praying hands up from your chin to your forehead.

What other techniques to eliminate the double chin?

If these tips are not sufficient, other methods, including cosmetic surgery, may work better.

To eliminate the double chin, it is possible to use techniques from medicine such as cryolpolysis or Coolsculpting to reduce the fatty deposits in the area under the chin. During the session, the bead is sucked into a kind of cooling suction cup. The area is subjected to intense cold in order to kill the fat cells or adipocytes. It takes 2 to 3 months after the coolsculpting procedure for the fat deposits to be eliminated by the body. One session of cryolipolysis is usually sufficient to overcome a double chin, but in some cases a second may be necessary. The price of a cryolipolysis session can vary between 500 to 1500 €.

Gentle liposuction or liposuction can also remove the small fatty deposits from the area under the chin. During the procedure, the fat is sucked out with back and forth movements. During this cosmetic surgery, the doctor makes incisions in the natural folds of the neck to introduce very fine cannulas connected to the suction system. The liposuction procedure requires local anesthesia, but no hospitalization. It takes around 2000 euros per liposuction session, but the price may vary depending on the amount of fat to be extracted and the quality of the skin.

Aesthetic medicine also offers injections of hyaluronic acid which, thanks to its tightening effect, thus reduce the appearance of double chin and restructure the oval of the face. For this technique, it takes about 300 euros per session.

Thanks to Sylvie Lefranc, Hatha yoga teacher and specialist in facial yoga and to Ania, founder of Faceyoga.studio.

Where to find the products ?

Gua Sha in rose quartz, 35 €, faceyoga.studio

Rose quartz roller, 25 €,Seasonly

Neck and décolleté lifting beauty cream, 21 €,Pierre Ricaud

Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Lift-Reshaping and Smoothing Youth Care, 70 €,Clarins

Read also :
– Chin hair, how to remove it?
– Better understand hatha yoga, the practice that strengthens the body and calms the mind.
– Fall for liposuction, good or bad idea?

Express contouring to transform your face

Video by Elsa RAYMOND