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As you age, your skin loses its elasticity and becomes thinner, which unfortunately, leads to saggy skin. Jowls, which is saggy skin around the jaw, is more pronounced on people who have less fat or collagen under their chin and cheeks. Although they are more prominent in older adults, young people in their twenties or even younger may develop jowls due to various environmental, genetic and physiological factors.
What Are Jowls?
Saggy or excess skin below the chin or jawline is referred to as jowls. In this article, you will learn the primary causes of jowls and how to prevent or manage them through simple facial exercises.
What Are the Main Causes of Jowls?
Age is the leading cause of jowls, but other factors increase the probability of sagging skin, including those listed below:
Hereditary Factors
Genetics largely influence the composition of your body and skin structure. If your family lineage has a history of jowls, you have an increased probability of developing them yourself.
If your skin has minimal collagen or is naturally thin, you may start to develop jowls as early as your twenties.
Rapid Loss of Weight
Your skin is elastic and will contract or expand depending on your body mass. If you experience a rapid loss of weight due to chronic stress or an underlying pathological condition, your skin will stretch. The stretched skin below your chin or cheeks will sag, leading to the formation of jowls.
Loss of Collagen and Elastin
Collagen is a protein responsible for providing structural support in muscles, connective tissue and skin. Typically, it is responsible for making your skin elastic. As you age, your body may produce low collagen levels, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles.
On the other hand, elastin is an integral protein for the extracellular matrix. The protein is elastic, allowing your skin to retain its original form after any form of contraction or stretching. As you age, your body produces low elastin levels, thus, your skin will not have the power to regenerate.
Lifestyle Factors
Lifestyle factors that can lead to jowls primarily include:
- Eating an unhealthy diet: Lack of antioxidants and other essential nutrients can compromise your skin's firmness and tightness.
- Using aggressive skin cleansing methods or adopting unhealthy skin hygiene routines: Subjecting your skin to harsh chemicals will denature collagen and elastin proteins, consequently leading to sagging skin.
- Facial expressions: Overuse of facial expressions can stretch out your neck and face skin.
- Excessive alcohol consumption or smoking: Chemicals present in alcohol and cigarettes can damage collagen and elastin.
Exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) Rays
Prolonged exposure to the harsh UV rays can damage the skin's collagen. After an extended period of exposure, your skin will start sagging or develop wrinkles.
How to Get Rid of Jowls?
Some factors, such as aging or genetic factors, are out of our control. However, you can incorporate the following preventive measures to minimize the likelihood of developing pronounced jowls at an early age.
Apply Sunscreen
If your job demands spending multiple hours outdoors, apply sunscreen on the neck and face every morning. It’s best if you adopt this routine daily, especially during the summer. Sunscreen forms a protective layer on your skin so the harmful UV rays will do less damage.
Avoid the use of Harsh Chemicals
Adopt safe skin cleansing methods by avoiding the use of harsh chemicals. Normalize using mild soaps or cleansers and organic products.
Avoid Smoking and Alcohol Consumption
The chemicals from cigarettes and alcohol will subject your skin to early sagging and wrinkles. Cut down your levels of drug use and alcohol consumption to preserve the youthfulness of your skin.
How to Get Rid of Jowls Using Exercises
The neck and face region constitutes multiple muscle structures. These muscles are used for facial expressions, and regular exercise can help strengthen the neck, jaw and face muscles. Exercise helps to improve the health of your skin and minimize the severity of jowls. The best facial exercises for jowls include:
Yoga Exercises
Face yoga can help minimize wrinkles and sagging lines on your face and under your chin. The exercise uses movements that target connective tissues and facial muscles. Face Yoga can help tighten your skin and help you attain a more youthful looking face.
How to reduce sagging jowls using yoga exercises:
- Firm your jawline: Slowly lift your chin and face towards the ceiling, continuously open, and close your jaw. For maximum results, do this exercise at least ten times per day.
- Firm the jowls: Cover your teeth while making an O shape with your lips. Gently smile when your teeth are still covered five times.
Jawzrsize
Jawzrsize is a tool for targeting exercise of your facial, jaw and neck muscles. The exercise leads to dilating blood vessels and more blood and oxygen flow to the targeted muscles. If your muscles receive sufficient nutrients and oxygen, it can help create a more youthful looking appearance.
Neck Curl Up
The neck curl up targets the front neck muscles. You can conveniently do the exercise when lying down with your face facing the ceiling and tongue pressed on the upper side of your mouth or roof of the mouth.
- Ensure your face is horizontally aligned with your chest.
- Gently tilt your head two inches on one side without moving any other part of your body.
- Continue tilting your head ten times or more.
- Ensure you are being gentle since the muscles of the neck are delicate; aggressive movements will cause neck strain or pain.
Collarbone Backup
How to reduce jowls naturally using collarbone backup:
- In a seated, lying down or standing position, ensure your head is at an adjacent level to the floor.
- Slowly bring your head back to help the throat muscles contract and relax.
- Perform the exercise ten times at maximum.
Key Takeaway
Any facial exercise that helps your facial or neck muscles to relax is an excellent way to reduce jowls. For the best results, consider using a tool like Jawzrsize, which can be useful in strengthening your neck muscles and minimizing the formation of jowls. Contact us today for more information on firming up your skin and muscles.
