Is there any procedure to get rid of fat under the chin?

[Kate]

If I did not have a fat accumulation under my chin I would look good. This small amount of fat directly under my chin makes me look much older than I really am especially in profile. I am doing the exercise for the muscles at the front of the neck and they have made a difference in my jawline - it looks cleaner. That fatty pad still remains under my chin though. Is there any non-invasive or minimally invasive procedure that can remove a small amount of fat without removing too much money from my bank account?

[Tom Hagerty]

Kate, I don't know how old you are, but if you're over 50 it's really hard to trim down the fatty tissue under your chin and at the front of your neck. If you're in your 30s or 40s it might be possible to reduce the fat in this area by doing the exercise that I describe on my website for the platymsa and sternomastoid muscles. I suggest doing this exercise for the muscles at the front of the neck almost every day, getting in a lot of repetitions. Make sure to hold your tongue against the roof of the mouth. That's the sectret of doing the neck exercise correctly.

If you're in your 50s and the skin at the front of your neck is loose, exercise probably won't tighten it. The turkey neck in older people is a big cosmetic problem. If an older person really is determined to get rid of hanging skin, the only answer might be cosmetic surgery. The kind of surgery, though, is minimally invasive if the right surgeon is selected. Direct excisional submentoplasty (about $2000) will clean up the front of the neck with very little down time. The wrong surgeon might advise a person to get a complete neck lift. This costs a bundle and involves a lot of down time. I don't advise surgery but some people feel they need it to look presentible.

Facial exercise, and specifically the exercise for the front of the neck, if it's started early enough is a great preventive measure especially if you keep a trim body too. And it's really not that hard once you develop a routine.

[Horsegirl]

Keeping always slim is the way to keep a trim neck and a clean jaw line. Once you put on weight and some of that weight lodges in the neck area, it is hard to get it off. The exercise that you describe for the front of the neck is helpful though. I do this one every day and I do it with good form, trying to press my tongue against the roof of my mouth with each repetition. I also keep good posture throughout the day, holding my head high. I think slouching down when you are sitting or standing is not good for the neck. A toned up neck and a clean jaw line makes you feel good about yourself.