So you’re starting to notice the signs of aging: a little bit of a belly, a little more weight on your butt, and that little crease just below your chin? That’s what we call a double chin, and a double chin is not easy to get rid of. The origins of your double chin can be narrowed down to three primary causes: genetics, slack facial muscles, and caloric intake.

Now, you’re thinking to yourself, “there’s no way I’m getting rid of a double chin if those are the causes.” Well, in a way you’re right, age will take it’s toll and you’ll eventually have to come to terms with loose skin, but there are some things you can do to help get rid of a double chin. Below are some suggestions on how to do it:

Things you can do to lose that double chin.

If you want to get rid of a double chin you’re going to have to watch what you eat. Monitoring and regulating your caloric intake is perhaps the most effective means of getting rid of a double chin (read: how to get rid of calories). Science has proven that processing calories is what ages our bodies the most. The fewer calories your body has to process the less fat you’ll find on your face. It really is that simple.

Exercising the rest of your body will help you get rid of a double chin. Let’s face it, you need to burn off more calories than you consume if you’re going to reduce the amount of fat anywhere on your body. I would suggest signing up for a gym or a Bally’s Fitness center and start working on aerobic (running, biking, stair climbing) and anaerobic (weight lifting) exercises immediately. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results.

A good posture is yet another way to help you get rid of a double chin. Sitting up straight and keeping your jaw slightly jutted during the day is going to keep that double chin away. Hey, that rhymes! Giving your jaw muscles too much slack is going to ensure that body fat and loose skin starts to accumulate there. There are ergonomic chairs like the one I have here that will ensure you sit up straight while you work.

Chewing sugar-free gum is a great way to help maintain good hygiene and stave off a double chin. Keeping your jaw and facial muscles moving and working is the key to preventing the build up of excess fat and loose skin. The muscles in your face responsible for keeping your jaw line tight are the same muscles that you use to chew and make facial expressions-chewing gum and making facial expressions will help retain that jaw line.

Exercising the muscle we call the platysma is the most recommended exercise for getting rid of a double chin. To exercise this muscle, open your mouth wide, pull your bottom lip over your bottom teeth, and then work your jaw up and down as if you were trying to scoop something up with your lower jaw. This is called the shovel, and you look like a moron doing it, but eventually you’ll start to notice a difference if you stick to a daily routine.

Plastic Chin Surgery & Liposuction

If you really can’t stand that double chin, and you’ve tried all of the things I’ve suggested so far, there is always plastic surgery and liposuction. But, I mean, come on. Are you really that vain? I don’t want to preach here, but if you can’t deal with the fact that you’re genetically predisposed to having a double chin (as a lot of us are), then how the hell do you make it through each and every day without crying yourself into a dizzy little circle? Maybe you do.

Maybe you’re like that guy in my hometown who tried to end his life with a shotgun and ended up losing his jaw instead. I think he had to drink his meals after that. Well, the procedure is called mentoplasty, and it’s not terribly dangerous-though you have to imagine that any work done on the bone structure of your jaw or the layers of tissue you have under your jaw will be extremely painful. Are you willing to endure that much pain to get rid of a double chin?