When You Start Seeing 'Double'

 I dread having my photo taken because I don’t like seeing my double chin, but my daughter’s graduation is coming up and I really want to be in the pictures. Any fast remedies to get rid of it?
After your 30s, or if you’re lucky, or have been taking care of your skin, you might be able to buy time until your 40s. But eventually a lifetime of sun exposure, an unbalanced diet and other bad habits will start to pay you back with more signs of ageing.
The skin becomes looser, thinner and more fragile. When it loses elasticity, gravity pulls it down, making certain parts droopy and saggy, such as the area under your chin, creating the “double chin” effect.
If you are just hoping for a way to look better in those pictures, a good angle helps. Try not to bend your head forward too much, and turn your head slightly so your face isn’t square on with the camera.
You might have heard of “double-chin exercises”, but I doubt they help very much because the problem is not just the amount of fat but also the looseness of the skin. No exercise will shrink excess skin – it’s as simple as that.
But if you’re looking for something more permanent that extends beyond your daughter’s graduation day, you might want to consider a treatment. Nowadays there are several cosmetic treatments, both invasive and non-invasive, that target a double chin without going under the knife, which means less recovery time or no recovery time at all.
The most traditional way, which is unfortunately invasive, is liposuction. This is effective if the double chin is a result of excess fat. Today’s technologies allow doctors to get rid of excess fat using Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance (Vaser) liposuction. This involves an advanced ultrasonic device that targets only the fat cells, not the surrounding blood vessels, nerves or connective tissue. It disturbs the surrounding area as little as possible. The procedure takes around one hour, and complete healing takes a week or two.
Another option, if you want something non-invasive, is Ulthera, which relies on powered ultrasound to tighten and lift the skin. Actually, last year, Ulthera became the first device to receive FDA clearance. It non-invasively lifts the skin under the chin and neck. This is recommended if saggy skin is the cause of your double chin. The heat from the device causes the skin to contract and stimulates collagen growth, giving your skin a firmer look and pushing back the double chin. This procedure also takes about 60 minutes and very little or no downtime is required.
Other things you can do to prevent your double chin from getting worse is to watch your diet to avoid storing more fat – a part of the excess fat will go to your double chin.
Also, when moisturising your skin, pay attention to the area under your chin to make sure it’s healthy and strong like the rest of your face. Products with firming properties would be ideal, although you might not need to invest in double-chin products. A tightening cream can tighten any area of the skin, and it makes no sense to buy a separate cream just to tighten your chin.