Different Ways to Get Rid of Neck Fat
What is Neck Fat?
We normally associate fat with areas on the stomach or the arms, but fat can really develop anywhere — including your neck. Neck fat, often referred to as a double chin, refers to excess fatty build up in the area around your neck, particularly underneath your chin.
Some people have large necks, but they’re made of muscle. You can tell the difference between a muscular neck and a fatty neck because the former looks toned and defined, especially when flexed.
Neck fat is technically known as submental fat, which refers to the area underneath your chin. An increase of fat in this region is caused by a number of factors, including genetics and aging. However, being overweight is one of the largest contributors of fat deposits under the chin.
No one wants to have a double chin. Luckily, there are plenty of natural and surgical ways to reduce the appearance of submental fat to achieve a more chiseled chin and toned neckline.
Reducing Neck Fat Through Exercise
You’ve probably never gone to the gym and heard someone say “it’s neck day.” That’s because there’s no evidence to suggest that isolating one part of the body will make just a singular area lose fat. The best way to shed the pounds is by incorporating holistic fitness practices that incorporate the whole body.
To shave off fat, you need to engage in strenuous cardio activities that burn calories. Running, biking, hiking, taking a HIIT class, dancing, swimming, etc., are all ways to get your blood pumping.
Weight loss occurs when you enter a calorie deficit. Essentially, this means you’re burning more calories than you’re eating. One of the best ways to do this is by supplementing a healthy diet with at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio every day.
The thing is, doing just cardio can burn muscle and fat. And since we want to achieve a muscular neck just as much as we want a fatless neck, it’s important to incorporate both.
With that in mind, there are some neck exercises you can try to tone the muscles in your neck to strengthen your physique. You might get some stares at the gym if you do these in public, but it’s a small price to pay for your perfect body.
Jaw jut exercises are simple and require no equipment. Just tilt your head back toward the ceiling and push your lower jaw forward, feeling a stretch under your chin. Hold for 10 seconds, relax your jaw, and return to neutral position.
You can also try a ball exercise that involves a nine to ten inch ball. Place it under your chin and press down against it, holding the ball on your neck with your chin. Repeat this about 20 times.
Reducing Neck Fat Through Nutrition
No matter how much you exercise, it might be meaningless if you continue to eat junk foods or processed foods often. Your diet is one of the only ways that the inside of your body can interact with the outside world, so you might as well make sure that every interaction is positive.
Processed foods with added sugar or sodium, as well as meat and dairy products, do not help with weight loss. In fact, most of these actually cause you to gain weight and can reverse some of the good that you’re achieving through exercise.
Research has found that people tend to feel fuller from higher protein diets rather than carbs or fat. Try increasing your consumption of nuts or beans, as these are natural sources of protein that can help you feel fuller faster.
Additionally, increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables is necessary to gain vital nutrients without any of the bad stuff. Fruits and vegetables are almost 80% water, so you can eat more when compared to chips or snacks without gaining as much fat around your neck.
There are also some healthy fats that your body needs to survive, and you can get these from things like avocado or even dark chocolate! It proves that you don’t need to sacrifice some of the good stuff to look the way you want.
Cosmetic Procedures to Reduce Neck Fat
If diet and exercise aren’t enough to eliminate your double chin, or even if there are still some stubborn deposits that won’t respond to traditional weight loss methods, cosmetic surgery can help you hop over the final hurdle.
Surgical Procedures
One of the most common, and effective, procedures to remove fat in the area around the neck is chin liposuction. During this procedure, incisions are made under the chin just large enough for a tool called a cannula to be inserted. This tool dislodges excess fat so that it can be extracted with a vacuum or syringe.
The wounds are small, and you might be given a special chin strap to help support your neck during the healing process. But the procedure itself is actually a lot simpler than many people realize.
Liposuction is the best choice for removing larger amounts of excess fat. However, if excess skin is the problem, you can get a neck lift.
Neck lifts involve an incision from one sideburn to another. Underlying tissue and fat is resculpted, and then the skin is draped over the new contours. Excess skin is trimmed, resulting in a more thin and sleek appearance underneath your chin.
You can also consider buccal fat pad removal. Buccal fat occurs in the area around your cheeks, but this treatment might be able to improve the contours of your neck and chin as a whole.
If you’re within a small percentage of your ideal body weight but you have higher amounts of fat in this area, surgical procedures will likely give you better results than non-surgical alternatives
Non-Surgical Procedures
Going under the knife isn’t right for everyone, and for removing small amounts of neck fat, it might not be required. There are non-surgical alternatives that never break the skin but can still help you achieve a more chiseled chin.
Thermi is a relatively novel procedure that involves the use of radiofrequency waves to heat subdermal fat beyond repair. Your body then naturally removes it through the lymphatic system, resulting in tighter skin and a more desirable appearance.
Thermi can be used in other parts of the body as well, but specialized treatments focus on the chin and areas around the neck. The procedure is quick and painless, and the recovery time is virtually nonexistent.
Importance of Reducing Neck Fat
Having a chubby chin doesn’t just have an effect on your confidence and self-image, it’s also associated with some physical risks.
Namely, the fat around your neck can restrict your airways, increasing your risk of sleep apnea or other sleep disturbances. Additionally, some studies have linked neck size to an increased likelihood of heart problems.
Reducing fat around the neck can reduce your risk of developing cardiometabolic problems in the future. On top of that, it can enhance your self image and make you feel more comfortable in your own skin.
Plus, since having a larger neck is often a byproduct of being overweight or obese, decreasing your neck fat can be a sign that your overall body composition is improving. Obesity is a major contributor to the leading causes of death in the U.S. Even if dieting and exercise aren’t giving you the exact results you’re hoping for, engaging in an active lifestyle is essential nonetheless.
Wrap Up
Neck fat might be the result of genetics or other factors, but one of the biggest causes is being overweight. That’s why the main ways to remove neck fat have to do with holistic wellbeing.
Exercise is an important way to shed excess fat. Cardio activities will make you look thinner, and strength exercises will work to tone the muscles surrounding your neck and chin.
Nutrition is equally important. You want to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins while avoiding processed foods, added sugars, sodium, and animal products.
If nothing works the way you’re hoping, you can turn to cosmetic surgery. Surgical procedures like chin liposuction or neck lifts are effective ways to help you achieve your best body. But non-surgical techniques like Thermi also work without ever breaking the skin.
PH-1 Miami is proud to offer every service listed above for helping you to achieve your desired look. Ready to eliminate your double chin? Click here to fill out our inquiry form and get started right away.
Sources:
Food and Diet | Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
26 Best Healthy Foods that Burn Fat | FCER
Accumulation of fatty tissue in the neck predicts adiposity, heart problems | News-Medical
