Jowls are a common problem that can affect literally anyone. To be exact, jowls are the saggy or excess skin that develops on the neck, just below your chin.
At some point in life, almost everyone develops jowls, at least the minimal form. This especially applies to older people because the skin loses elasticity as we age.
This article will show you how to get rid of jowls and help you learn more about the problem itself.
First of all, we need to start from the cause behind this problem, as it isn’t the same for everyone. Several factors are at play here.
What Causes Jowls?
The number one reason why people get jowls is aging. Why is that?
It’s simply because the body loses more and more of its “building blocks” as we age. When it comes to skin, its building blocks are elastin and collagen.
You see, elastin and collagen are the two proteins responsible for the elasticity and overall freshness of the skin. As we age, the body produces less of these two proteins, therefore leading to vulnerable, damaged skin and jowls.
With less collagen and elastin, your skin will also become drier. Once that happens, gravity will have an easier task of pulling your skin down, which results in the development of jowls.
Other factors that may cause jowls include:
- Genetics – Like everything else, even the quality of our skin and how long it will last is “written” down in our DNA. Whether or not jowls will appear sooner or not at all can depend on genetics alone. For example, if both of your parents have jowls, it is very likely that you will have them as well. Some people even notice jowls in their teens as they have a limited supply of collagen due to genetics.
- Weight Loss – Once you start gaining more and more weight, your skin starts to stretch. If you lose that weight quickly, you will experience bruises and even cuts on your skin as it couldn’t recover as fast. This might even lead to sagging skin below your chin.
- Smoking – Nicotine lowers collagen and elastin levels, leading to vulnerabilities in the smoker’s skin. Smoking narrows your blood vessels and limits your circulation and your skin’s ability to absorb valuable nutrients.
- Frowning – People whose main facial expression is frowning tend to get saggy necks way before others.
- UV Light – Sun damage is collagen’s kryptonite. Exposures to strong UV lights can lower your collagen levels, which may result in jowls later in life.
- Looking Down – This one might seem funny to some people, but it’s true. We live in a time when cell phones are constantly in our hands. If you spend most of your time looking down while using your phone, you could damage your neck skin and develop jowls.
- Stress – Being under stress for a long period of time not only affects your collagen and elastin levels but your entire body. Stress is a notorious silent killer that can lead to almost any disease that we know of.
- Poor Hygiene – Bacteria can damage the skin, making it easier for jowls to appear.
How to Prevent Jowls from Happening in the First Place?
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have jowls or if you just got rid of them, you need to maintain healthy habits in order to keep them away. Here is what you can do to prevent or delay developing jowls:
- Quit smoking
- Don’t spend too much time on your PC or phone
- Use sun protection
- Eat a lot of fruit
Getting Rid of Jowls
Now that you are done with the basics, it is time that you learn how to get rid of jowls.
Let’s start with the healthier, more natural options first.
1. Jaw Exercises
Most people forget about the neck muscles when they exercise. The truth is that strong neck muscles lead to a more defined jawline and also decrease the possibility of neck pain.
Professional bodybuilders even lift weights just by using their heads in order to strengthen the neck muscles. Don’t worry, you won’t need to go to such extremes.
What is advised by doctors are the following exercises: neck curl-up and collarbone backup.
The neck curl-up is performed by lying down on the ground (on your back) and then bringing your chin to your chest. You should lift your head off the ground for about two inches. Remember that in order to properly perform this exercise, your other body parts need to stay still. Your head does all the movement.
Doing about 3 or 4 sets of 10 reps would be fantastic for beginners.
The collarbone backup is slightly easier to do. You should sit on the floor and make sure that your head isn’t leaned to the side. You need to look straight throughout this exercise.
At the proper starting position, simply lean your head back several inches, contract the muscles and then relax and get back to the starting position. You can also perform 10 reps of this exercise for a total of 3 or 4 sets if you are a beginner.
2. Hyaluronic Acid Gel Fillers
HA, short for hyaluronic acid, is one of the most popular methods for treating aging skin. The acid is injectable and impermanent.
There has been quite a bit of research on hyaluronic acid and how it affects the skin. The general conclusion is that hyaluronic acid can rejuvenate the skin if properly used.
3. Yawning and Humming
You can eliminate jowls by yawning or simply opening your mouth as far as you can more frequently. After doing that for a couple of times, you can start humming with your tongue pressed to the top of your mouth. This is an excellent way to combat jowls.
Now we are moving onto the surgical methods.
4. Neck Lift
Neck lift is more expensive than other treatments of the kind, but it is a solid solution to the problem.
In this procedure, the surgeon makes a cut into the side of the face and under the chin. After that is done, he repositions the tissue and sculpts the fat.
5. Ultherapy
Ultherapy uses ultrasound to stimulate more collagen production. Only one session of ultherapy is required. However, the improvements aren’t noticed right away.
You will begin noticing changes in the months following the treatment.
6. Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy tightens the skin, and thus eliminating the jowls. It works by radiating heat which stimulates collagen and elastin. You will need to undergo this treatment several times before you can experience the positive changes.
Other treatments worth mentioning:
- Face Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Laser Treatment
- Facial Massage
The Final Verdict
Now you finally have the answer to the question – how to get rid of jowls. Decide what the best option for you is and be persistent. Of course, you should always start with the natural methods first. May luck be with you.
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320809.php
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7216901
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083596
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2825122/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544360/
https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/jawline-exercises#vowel-sounds
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/jowls#surgery
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22348557
Comments