I hate my sagging wattle of a double chin. I'm in my early 60s and really don't want to have surgery to correct this.

Does any know how I can tighten up things?

Also, my free weights and recumbent bike riding is helping me firm up while I continue to lose weight, but with another 50 or so pounds to drop, am I going to be faced with sagging and dragging skin? Is there any exercise I can add, to firm up the skin suit?

I recently had surgery and was "under" for close to 4 hours for cancer. Very scary and I know anesthesia in an older person has effects on the brain so going under selectively is something I want to avoid

Thanks for any help, suggestions, and encouragement!
Jo

Hi Jo,

Congrats for combating cancer!!

At our age, skin is skin, all we can do, is keep doing what we're doing and hope for the best... I still think we look better than many of our peers by taking care of ourselves, eating well, drinking water, exercising...

I wouldn't go under the knife either for the sake of, IMHO, vanity....

First, I'll say that it probably bothers you more than anyone else. That said, I understand there are things about ourselves that we'd like to change and sometimes, diet/exercise just doesn't do enough.

There are alternatives out there for surgery, but I'm not sure if you'd be a candidate. I've heard of people using Thermage...which I believe uses a lazer. It could be painful but doesn't require anasthesia. Again, I don't know if my memory is right, but it's something worth exploring.

You might want to check out this procedure too: http://www.kens5.com/story/news/2014/06/26/10495632/

Depending on your situation, sometimes liposuction can help.

Anyway, if I were you, I'd research this like crazy and talk to some trusted, board certified plastic surgeons. See at least 3 and find out about non surgical options. Best of luck to you!

Oh, btw, I realize you wanted an exercise to lessen the double chin. I don't know of any exercise that can do that, but perhaps someone else will chime in.

Sometimes exercise have good effects even more then diet so no need to worry at all here is a good reference i have just check it out they must guide you properly . Thanks
crossfitconnex.com/2014/10/get-training-for-madison-running-in-madison-wisconsin-2

Thanks to you three kind posters who replied. I was wondering if anyone would reply, and ta-da!
Jo

I'm not really against plastic surgery, but I definitely understand your wish to avoid it. Anesthesia is inherently dangerous, and not something to put your body through if it's not worth it for you. That said, if you need anesthesia again for another reason and it's your only major concern about surgery, you could look into having aesthetic surgery along with a necessary surgery.

But that's not really why I posted here.

What I wanted to say is, while I can't think of any exercises that directly affect the chin area, I don't think you need to find something that directly targets the area. A lot of firming and tightening and shaping can occur indirectly, when you build up muscle elsewhere, pulling skin towards those areas. So if you work on your arms and shoulders and chest muscles, for instance, you may very well find that the skin shifts downwards to compensate.

I think your best bet is to talk to a personal trainer about your goals. Personal trainers are very good at knowing how you can work towards that kind of goal, and should be able to give you a realistic idea of what you could achieve.

I don't think you should have any trouble finding someone for just one session, or to see regularly even if it's just once a month to give you an exercise routine and track your progress. I'd suggest finding someone outside of a gym though, for cost reasons. There are plenty of legitimate and very good personal trainers who run their own practices, and a gym will make you buy a membership (which is fine if you want one, but not really necessary).

My mother taught me an exercise, you can try it! You toss your head back, and make a "woo" shape with your mouth like you are howling at the moon. I know, it sounds weird, but if you are doing it right, you can feel the muscles under your chin really working & burning. I'm 265 pounds at 5'8" right now and don't have a double chin. Not sure if this exercise or genetics is to credit though, ha!

I'd say no. Overall weight loss will affect every part of your body, even your face. Look at my pic, and that's just 30lbs.

There are a lot of videos on u tube if you just google face exercises. Specifically look for videos featuring a woman named Carol Maggio. I used to do a lot of the ones she recommends daily (a lot you can do while driving. You look weird but I don't care if people see me or not) and where once I was considering lipo under my chin, I'm not anymore.

I have seen some people talking about "Face yoga," which is supposed to help with tightening things up. I have not tried it, and have no idea if it really works, but it may be worth looking into as an alternative to surgery!