Chin & Jawline Lift

Targets: Chin, platysma, jawlineDuration: 60 secondsReps: 10 reps — hold 3 seconds each

This is one of the most common face yoga moves for a reason — it directly engages the platysma, the sheet-like muscle that runs from the jaw down the neck, which is closely tied to how defined the jawline looks and how much a double chin shows.

How to Do It

Tilt your head slightly back, look upward, and extend your lower lip upward or do a gentle "kiss the ceiling" motion.

Why It Works

The platysma is a large, easily accessible muscle, so it is a sensible target for a simple exercise. Research on facial exercise is still limited, and none of it shows that any single move reduces a double chin.

Benefits

• Directly targets the platysma, tied to jawline definition
• May help the jawline and neck look more toned over time
• Easy to learn and needs no equipment

Which muscles this works

The platysma is a thin sheet of muscle that runs from the lower face and jaw down the front of the neck to the upper chest. When you tense it, you see vertical cords in the neck. Fullness under the chin usually comes from a mix of fat, skin laxity and genetics rather than muscle alone, and exercise can't remove fat from one spot. What this move can do is work the platysma and the muscles under the chin.

Step by step

1. Sit or stand tall with your shoulders down and relaxed.
2. Tilt your head back gently until you feel a stretch along the front of your neck, and look up at the ceiling.
3. Push your lower lip up and slightly forward, or make a slow kiss towards the ceiling. You should feel the area under the chin and the front of the neck working.
4. Hold for 3 seconds.
5. Release, bring your head back to neutral, and repeat for 10 reps.

Common mistakes

• Dropping the head back too far, which strains the neck.
• Lifting the shoulders towards the ears.
• Holding your breath.
• Pulling the corners of the mouth down instead of pushing the lower lip up.

When to skip it

Skip it if you have a neck injury, a disc or spinal problem, or if tilting your head back makes you dizzy or causes tingling in the arms. Check with a doctor first if you have any of these.

What to expect

Be realistic: no exercise targets fat under the chin, and the platysma is only one part of how the jawline looks. If your jawline is soft because of skin laxity or fat, you may notice a small improvement in muscle tone at most. Weight, genetics and posture all play a larger role.

The best-known study of facial exercise followed 16 women aged 40–65 through a 20-week programme of 30-minute sessions. Cheek fullness improved and dermatologists rated them about three years younger on average (Alam et al., JAMA Dermatology, 2018). It was a small study, the authors noted the results may not apply to other groups, and the programme was far longer than a one-minute video, so expect gradual and modest change.

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