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]

You have a lovely face OP. You look really happy and glowy.

You potentially could get jaw surgery. It is available on the NHS if you need it. Its a long process involving several years of train track braces, the recovery from the procedure is not fun. You often don't need to be wired shut but you would need elastics and a very soft diet. You will be sore and swollen for many weeks and your face will change. For many it can be a life changing procedure but its not something to undergo lightly. If will be done in a hospital not by a dentist who does invisalign
Often if you need orthognathic surgery other procedures to mask can make the problem worse. Although its a big procedure sometimes it can be better to get one big procedure rather than many little ones

But if you consider getting the procedure or not you need to work on your self esteem. A lot of what you are describing about your face is simple not true, you have lovely cheek bones. Yes you have a smaller jaw but your face is not in anyway 'fat'. Ultimately the surgery will fix a smaller jaw but it won't necessarily fix your self esteem and I would be wary of going into it with so many negative thoughts about yourself. Its not a fix all, surgery is good to change one problem but you need to be careful that it is actually the surgery you need

Here’s the thing. There is only one Angelina Jolie in the world and she is Angelina Jolie. You look pretty and happy and well adjusted. That’s all that matters. Leave well enough alone x

The problem is you eye is drawn to the but you have an issue with. No body else would notice. It would be absolute madness to have such dramatic surgery on an already gorgeous face. What if it didn’t set and you were in pain fit the rest of your life? Not worth it IMO. Spend the money on something that will make you truly happy, give it to a friend in a tight spot or go away on holiday.

@GreenWhiteViolet I have spent my life thinking it's the only thing people see when they look at me. It'll take more than a few posts to get over it but posting this has been a really big step in believing what my husband and other people say. If I'm unable to get to surgery for whatever reason, I do think it's helped me move toward accepting it.

You're very pretty OP, and sorry to break the news but you've got a veeery long way to go to even start to resemble Kathy Burke.

I wish you could see what we can see in these photos.

OP I've always had a chin like you, and have sometimes wished for a more defined side profile and not my 'gullet' as my lovely DSis calls it 😁
But honestly, this is a self esteem problem not a double chin problem.
What is it that you imagine people thinking? Do you think your chin has cost you friends, or jobs, or makes people love you less?
Your family & friends simply know your face as you and they love you for it, the least you can do is love yourself a bit more.
And see photos as a capture of a happy memory not a chance to attack yourself.
Do you ever look at your loved ones & think less of them because of the way they look?
At least afford that same good grace to your own self.

@OrangeSharked, it's one the reasons I haven't wanted to start on the path of fillers and things. My self esteem is so low, I would be very unlikely to be satisfied at ending there once I was on the path...

@Ihaventgottimeforthis - my DSis calls it my 'wattle'. Charmers, eh?

You look lovely. I would never have noticed your chin or jaw. You have pointed it out now, and I still don't understand. You also look very young - much younger than 35. Try to enjoy it while you have it! :)

You look beautiful, I would of only noticed your smile not the chins had you not mentioned it

You have a lovely glow - it completely distracts, I had to look back a few times to understand what you meant! I think you might find it useful to also explore this with a therapist. It’s definitely something you can talk to them about: I once sat and told mine how much I hated looking like a man with my strong, bony jaw and cheekbones - and we talked it out. You might be surprised how you feel after you rebuild your mental approach and build some much deserved self esteem!

Equally, I believe the NHS does - in some circumstances - cover or partly cover operations that are done to alleviate mental health concerns?

@DoubleChinWoes your comment about Instagram really struck a nerve with me! As a millennial in late 20s internet and social media was just coming into play when I was a teenager. So I didn't feel any real pressures to look a certain way.

But I've noticed lately that the Instagram algorithm is shoving lots of procedures in my face. They have become the new women's magazine objectifying us and trying to turn us into something else.

When I spend less time on there I genuinely feel better, whereas the rest of the time the app seems to want to convince me why I need to look more like Kendall Jenner I agree you look lovely and unique and you.

I’m honestly quite shocked that some pp have immediately supported the idea that you should have surgery. I’d never have thought anything of your jaw on seeing those photos and like others, only see a beautiful vibrant woman with a beautiful smile, gorgeous hair and presumably very fulfilled life. That’s what I would project onto you, anyway! I don’t want to diminish your feelings either and by all means look into whatever procedures you want, but if you’re looking for opinions it would never occur to me as a stranger that you ‘need’ anything done at all.

I don’t like looking at my side profile and there’s a very easy quick solution for fixing that = don’t look at photos of your side profile 😂.

[quote DoubleChinWoes]@Ihaventgottimeforthis - my DSis calls it my 'wattle'. Charmers, eh?[/quote]
I gave back as good as I got about her 'hook nose & chin' 😂 I had bad skin too though sadly and have always been a bit fat so she had lots of ammunition!
We were bitches to each other really.
I think it did hurt, but in an odd way it helped me put it in perspective as we ended up laughing over it & we realised it would never impact our relationship.
And that's what it comes down to - it's just strangers having a fleeting critical thought, water off a ducks back, I don't even know about it, or in a very worst case scenario it could possibly be someone going 'ah I'm not going to be friends with ihavent as she's got a wobbly chin'. Which I doubt has ever happened but even if it did, its no loss to me.
I've never been a looker but I do love & cherish my body. I'm stuck with it! Plus your body deserves you to love it first & foremost, and once you've got that state of mind it makes just 'being' so much easier, frees up so much mental space for being content in ourselves.

OP, you are genuinely so so pretty. You have a beautiful smile, gorgeous skin, and such happy eyes. I wish you could see that.

You are absolutely gorgeous! I would never have thought you were in your 30s - you look much younger and very glowy.

You do have a slightly receding chin but if you hadn't mentioned it I really wouldn't have noticed it at all.

You could always investigate the cost of the procedure where you have your jaw broken and wired shut, especially if it is causing you a lot of distress, but you're so pretty just as you are.

This really reminds me of one of my best friends, who had a nose job. She has a much more 'standard' nose now and it is very straight and 'cute' in stereotypical way - but she confessed to me a few months ago that she regretted having the nose job as she misses her original nose and felt her face had more character! If you look around, a lot of really beautiful people do have features that could be considered imperfect and which they may even dislike about themselves - freckles, ear size, nose size, etc etc - but when you look at them from the outside you would just think they are lovely looking and not notice those things as flaws.

I have the exact same issue, down to a healthy weight but the receding chin hasn't gotten any better especially from the side

I got my braces relatively late and was told they would help (they didn't), after two years of that was referred to the dental hospital where it took another two years of appointments to decide they would have to break my jaw and fit a new set of braces twice to actually fix it as I have an overbite + crossbite

I've looked up the chin/lipo options and may well go for that in the future but I've come to a realisation that it's pretty common and I just haven't noticed/criticised it on other people like I have on myself which helps with day to day confidence

Still hate photos though, that'll probably never change

[quote DoubleChinWoes]@GreenWhiteViolet I have spent my life thinking it's the only thing people see when they look at me. It'll take more than a few posts to get over it but posting this has been a really big step in believing what my husband and other people say. If I'm unable to get to surgery for whatever reason, I do think it's helped me move toward accepting it.[/quote]
you look so warm and attractive in those photos. You say you love Kathy Burke, this is from a BBC interview with her...

“[Plastic surgeons] are making money out of people’s insecurities. Give people positive vibes and positive speak rather than putting them under the knife.”

Have you ever had an assessment for BDD? www.priorygroup.com/blog/the-risks-of-cosmetic-surgery-for-body-dysmorphic-disorder-patients

Beautiful girl, and your inner beauty just radiates from you.
You don’t need to change a thing

You look lovely in the photos. I think you’d be mad to consider surgery!

You're stunning, I'd love to look like you!

I think you're absolutely beautiful OP..

Like the other pp it looks like your facial structure rather than excess fat, but to be honest with you that's what makes you you, and I think that's part of your beauty.

My BIL had corrective jaw surgery on the NHS for a similar issue but had to jump through many hoops for it. He looks like a different person now, and is happier in himself but he's just different. Not better nor worse to any one externally. But if it's something you know will make you shine with confidence then I think you should speak to your dentist about it.

Privately it costs a fair amount and the recovery is quite intense. But it's short term pain for long term gain and it's apparent in my BIL that it's helped him come out of his shell

Yeah you're face is very pretty op and you don't have a double chin (I have an actual double chin so qualified to comment)

Would a chin implant not be a feasible option? Obvs wouldn't correct an overbite but if its the aesthetics you're concerned about it would be much less intrusive than breaking your jaw

You look so happy friendly. You are very attractive.
My dd had jaw surgery several years ago . It made a huge huge difference to the way she looked and she would definitely recommend it. Her jaw was wired for three months and she lived on smoothies and homemade soups. The first ten days was hard but once she got used to it it was fine.