Double chin woes (with photos)

[DoubleChinWoes]

I'm completely depressed about my double chin and chubby face. Whatever I weigh, it doesn't change my face at all. I have no cheekbones and multiple chins.

My friends wedding photos came back today and every single photo of me is ruined by my chins and face. It makes me feel so low.

My side profile is awful, because I have a receding chin and no jaw. My dentist has commented on my jaw, saying I could get it broken and reset but I would need to have my jaw wired shut for weeks and eat through a straw. Hardly practical.

My BMI is within a healthy range (just) but my face just constantly looks awful because it's so chubby. the photos look like someone much heavier than me I think. I don't look like a healthy BMI when you just see my face.

I have had to delete Instagram and Facebook because I obsessively look at plastic surgery accounts and research people who had their profile changed with liposuction and chin implants or fillers. I'm generally anti surgery and wouldn't have the money anyway.

I try to convince myself it doesn't matter. I have good skin, people say I'm a laugh and nice, I have a husband who says I'm gorgeous and kids that appear to adore me (they are 1.5 and 3yrs old so don't know I'm ugly yet).

I have been working from home in a new job since the lockdown first happened so not met anyone in real life. I'm horribly anxious to meet people as I've tried to angle my camera to not show it so obviously.

It's getting worse as I get older (I'm 35) and soon, I'll have saggy skin there too and will end up looking like Kathy Burke. Who I love! She's amazing. But I don't want to look like her, which is probably horrible and vain.

If I can't afford fat freezing, lipo, filler or chin implants, and who knows if these would even help, and losing weight makes no difference my only hope is to start not caring I think.

What am I posting for? I have no idea. Is there something else that can be done? Or do I need to save money for procedures, or let my obsession go somehow?

If you recognise me, please don't tell me or mention it to me in RL. I'm horribly embarrassed.

[Note from MNHQ: we've agreed to remove the pics for the OP, a year or two down the line]

@FortunesFave

You have a very lovely and youthful face. However, I immediately thought that it was more a jaw issue than fat...or sagging.

It's obvious your chin receeds and you should have had braces or something to fix it when you were younger.

If your dentist has suggested treatment involving breaking your jaw, well that IS extreme but I don't understand why you didn't say yes please...it's obviously affecting you badly that you're obsessing over lipo etc...when theres been a treatment already suggested.

No, drinking through a straw for weeks won't be nice but you'll have a new profile...and though you're very attractive at the moment...you're not happy so I think you should get it done.

I'm really pleased it's clear it's a jaw issue to you as that's what I feel like writing on a t-shirt while I'm walking around.

At the time I was visiting a new dentist to have Invisalign braces. I hadn't expected him to mention it, and had always assumed because my BMI was above normal, that's why I had this profile. His comments were basically 'to correct it, it would be a procedure to break your jaw' and I said something like 'oh really?' and he'd said, yeah, you'd have to have the jaw wired shut. And then didn't mention it again.

I'm going to email him tomorrow. It'll probably cost me to have it done, so then it's back to the same 'skint af', 'am I horribly vain?', 'I should get my kitchen done instead of mutilating myself for better photos' cycle.

Ok, I really had to seriously look quite hard to see what you were taking about. In the first photo I see a youthful attractive face with an amazing smile and beautiful teeth. I wouldn’t consider your face chubby, but as having youthful fullness, time will give you cheek bones! I am 52 and when I look at younger photos of myself I’m amazed at how round my face looks.
I can see more what you are talking about in the second photo, but I would not look at you and think , goodness that person has a weak chin etc.
I have no experience or knowledge of cosmetic procedures. Hopefully someone may comment who knows more if you seriously want options in that area. I have however had medical neck/face surgery in the past and I would never willingly cut into my face or neck ever again. My surgery was 16 years ago and I still feel the effects.
I am currently looking at face yoga as have heard good things about it to keep everything as lifted on my face as it can!
You will notice it far more than anyone else ever will. I would focus on a good haircut to flatter your face shape and, if you wanted, treat yourself to make up consultation to minimise what you perceive to be problematic. They can do wonders with shading and contouring if you really want to explore that for a special occasion when you know you will be photographed.

Seriously, OP, you do have a lovely face and lovely expression.

That's the shape of your bone structure. Many people have that same shape. My friend is very, very slim and has a very similar profile since we met in our early 20s.

I have it too and I'm fat. I first noticed it in a photo in my early teens. I'd love to have a lovely chiselled, almost masculine square jaw. But I don't. One of those things.

You don't need to do anything to yourself, you have other assets. Please believe all the PPs, you're absolutely fine.

It really is amazing how much we put ourselves down.
I think you look lovely. I think your smile is beautiful, and the first thing I noticed about you. I wouldn't have even looked at your chin had you not brought it to our attention. It's not noticeable. Your smile, sincerely is the first thing I notice.
And I think there's nothing wrong with your chin, but I appreciate that it's your feelings and my opinion on that doesn't really matter.
But you have a lovely, kind face. You're not ugly. I hope the comments here will help you realise that, even just a little bit!

Your energy looks beautiful and your features are gorgeous. Please be kind to yourself- the image you have in your mind is not the one others see.

I know platitudes won’t help as you can’t help the way you feel, but it honestly doesn’t look anywhere near as bad as you think it does.

If you want to try something free and easy, I really recommend face yoga. Someone recommended it to me on here a while back and it gives really great results if you stick at it. There are specific exercises for chins, if you Google it.

OP if you want it done, get it done. Of course you're beautiful as everyone says and I agree...you really are very pretty and young looking.

But there does seem to be a structural issue. I suspect nobody would say 'ignore it' if you had an underbite or something.

You're a beauty OP

Wiring your jaw is a really big op, I know someone who had it done. Think long and hard about it and find out as much as you can about it, you will need a lot of recovery time if you are like the person I know.

Everyone, thank you all so so much. This has really helped, because I hope no one would be saying it if they didn't mean it (unlike friends and family!).

I agree about looks being so much more of an issue now than before - it seems to be character flaw if you don't look perfect.

I've just had an absolute rush of emotion reading the comments. I need to read these instead of Instagram cosmetic procedures when I feel low.

I will email the dentist and enquire a bit more, as I think it'll satisfy me to know whether it's doable or not, and that'll lead me to take another step toward either fixing it or getting over it.

Bloody hell. Quite emotional now. Won't help my bloated face in the morning much 🤣

I think you look gorgeous. Happy, healthy, glowing.
I know it's hard not to obsess about things when it's your own face but I honestly don't see what you see in the mirror.
Just think of all the beautiful women who have ruined their lovely faces with plastic surgery. Yes they may technically look more symmetrical in a photo, but they have lost the essence of what makes them unique.
We are not a homogeneous mass of people, each striving for conformity. You really are attractive and lovely, and please stay that way.

I too think you look lovely and happy IMO.

Its clear its the jaw that is the issue. My SIL had that exact operation. I think (not 100% sure) she was also snoring or having breathing issues other than the small jaw. She had her jaw wired, and after the op, looked very different! It was actually a shock, because I initially thought it was her sister walking in the door. The snoring stopped too. Looking back at photos, its a remarkable difference and she is 100% so glad she had it done.

If an op isn't an option, I wonder if braces would help, laser to dissolve fat or micro lipo? Did you have braces previously? Did the dentist mention any other treatments?

@FVFrog, thanks for your comment. I totally agree about elective surgery. And I think good haircut, skin care and make up consultation is a really good shout.

I will give face yoga a go, although as someone else said, given it's a structural issue, might not help greatly. If it can stop it looking worse with sagging as I get older, that can only help my self esteem I suppose.

I think you look really lovely. I wouldn’t have noticed your chin unless you pointed it out and it shows a bit in your second photo.

Is there something you can do that is less drastic than jaw surgery? I know someone who had their jaw broken for the opposite reason and it was a horrendous procedure although it was a long time ago. What about looking at filler in the chin or something which might make a small but noticeable difference?

@Elouera, I never had braces as a kid and recently had Invisalign (which is when the dentist mentioned the jaw op). My teeth were horribly crooked and discoloured before, which really didn't help my self esteem. No other treatment mentioned by the dentist but I'm going to email tomorrow and just start the conversation about it.

I don't want to belittle how you feel as I have insecurities about my lower jaw and I hate my profile, but you are honestly beautiful. We're our own worst enemies sometimes. I hope you read these comments and realise that no one else sees a jaw issue or imperfection - we all see a lovely, happy, pretty face.

You're a beautiful, vivacious looking, happy looking woman. What on earth would you want to go through such a horrible sounding procedure to correct something that just doesn't look like a problem to the majority of people?

Hi you look beautiful honestly. You don’t need to break your face! Literally no no no. We are all just a bunch of cells and we are all miracles. I’m not much older than you really but as I’ve got older I found I love my foibles more and more. Also faces change as we age and I honestly prefer my face shape as I age and my teeth are naturally better aligned
Your kids are teeny and there has been a pandemic and life hasn’t been normal in any sense. Zoom is terrible for faces. We are all sitting there secretly blanking out our own faces! I think you will feel better after this phase is over - I mean the tiny kid phase and the pandemic phase!!

You have such a pretty face! I agree with pp in that many women have similar chins. Completely normal! Lots of people would love to look like you, chin and all.

You look happy and lovely OP. Don't aim to change anything.

First of all you’re beautiful. It’s a jaw issue not a weight one. Do it if it will make you happy but you honestly don’t need to x

You look fine. But I think you know that.

@StarryStarrySocks

I honestly honestly don't know that. I've not taken an unflattering photo of me and asked people to tell me I'm beautiful. I do feel a fraud having people tell me nice things about how I look because it has made me feel good about myself, but it wasn't the intention of the post. You can choose to believe that or not.

OP, I have the same chin as you. I'm a bit heavier at the moment so there's a bit more fat there but even when I was slim it looked very similar. I didn't have braces when I was young either and have a few crowded teeth now.

It really surprised me when I looked at your photos because initially I just saw a pretty, happy-looking woman. I always assume that my chin is the first thing people notice when they see me. If that's not true for you, maybe it isn't true for me either!

You look great. As someone with a huge moon head and many chins you do not look fat faced!
Also I know someone who had their jaw broken and can't say it seemed to change their face that much so please don't put yourself through that I can't imagine anything worse!