Losing weight can have a dramatic effect on your appearance, including your face. When you lose weight, it doesn’t just come from one area of your body, it comes from all over. And the face is no exception. Losing just 10-20 pounds can make your face look noticeably slimmer.
How does losing weight affect your face?
There are a few reasons losing weight makes your face look different:
Loss of fat in the face
Just like the rest of your body, your face has fat. And when you lose weight, you lose some of that facial fat. Areas like your cheeks, chin, jawline and neck are likely to become more defined and angular as the fat in those areas decreases. This can make your facial features look more prominent.
Loss of fluid retention
Carrying extra weight often causes fluid retention, which means your body holds on to excess fluid. This can make parts of your face look swollen or puffy. As you shed pounds, that swelling goes down, leaving you with a slimmer face.
Improved muscle tone
Losing weight and staying active helps improve your muscle tone all over your body, including in your face. Better muscle tone enhances your facial definition and gives your face a more toned, contoured look.
How much weight do you need to lose to notice a difference in your face?
You may begin to notice subtle changes in your face with just 5-10 lbs of weight loss. But most people really start to see a difference when they lose 10% or more of their body weight.
Here’s a guide to how much weight loss it takes to dramatically change your face:
If your current weight is: | Losing this amount may start to change your face: |
---|---|
120 lbs | 12 lbs |
150 lbs | 15 lbs |
180 lbs | 18 lbs |
200 lbs | 20 lbs |
220 lbs | 22 lbs |
250 lbs | 25 lbs |
So if your current weight is around 200 lbs, losing 20 lbs may lead to noticeable slimming of your face. But remember that everyone’s body is different, so the exact amount of weight loss needed to change your face will vary.
Where do you lose fat in your face first?
When you start shedding pounds, certain parts of your face are more likely to show changes sooner:
Cheeks
Full, rounded cheeks are one of the first facial areas to thin out when losing weight. Your cheekbones will become more defined and hollows under the cheekbones may appear.
Jaw and chin
The jawline and chin often refine first when losing weight. Double chins and jowls will reduce, revealing a more chiseled jaw and v-shaped chin.
Under-eye area
The area around your eyes will look less puffy as fluid retention under the eyes decreases. Under-eye bags may diminish.
Neck
A slimmer neck is another early facial change from weight loss. As fat decreases in your chin and jaw area, your neck will become more defined.
How long does it take to notice an improvement in your face?
You’ll likely start noticing subtle differences in your face within the first month of losing weight. But dramatic changes in your facial contours take longer.
Here’s a general timeline:
After 5 lbs lost
The very early signs of slimming in your jawline, cheeks and under eyes may start to appear. These changes are subtle.
After 10 lbs lost
Your face will begin to look noticeably thinner. Family and friends who see you regularly may comment on the changes.
After 20 lbs lost
At a loss of 20 lbs, the fat loss in your face will be very apparent. Your cheekbones, jawline and chin will appear much more defined.
After 30+ lbs lost
Losing 30+ lbs can radically transform your facial contours. You’ll have prominent cheekbones, a sharp jawline and tight neck.
But remember, the amount of weight loss required for facial changes varies based on your starting weight and body composition. Patience is key. Allow several months for the full effects on your face to develop.
Can you lose weight just in your face?
Unfortunately, spot reducing fat from just your face or any other specific area is physically impossible. When you lose weight, it comes off all over your body – not just your problem spots.
That said, the face is often one of the first places people notice weight loss. But for your face to slim down, you need to lose weight from your entire body.
Don’t fall for tactics like facelift creams, massages or chewing exercises that claim to slim just your face. These simply don’t work. The only proven way to lose fat in your face is overall weight loss through diet and exercise.
Be patient and stay committed to living a healthy lifestyle, and the slimmer facial contours will come.
What causes chubby cheeks and how to slim them?
Chubby, full cheeks are mainly caused by excess fat in the cheek area. But other factors can contribute to puffy cheeks too:
Genetics
Some people are just genetically prone to carry weight in their cheeks. You may inherit chubby cheeks from your parents.
Age
As we get older, our skin becomes looser and sagging occurs, causing cheeks to appear fuller.
Sleeping position
Sleeping on your side can compress the cheeks and encourage fat storage there.
Smoking
Smoking causes fluid retention all over the face including the cheeks.
Allergies
Seasonal allergies and sinus issues can result in inflammation and puffiness in the cheeks.
Medications
Some prescription drugs like steroids are linked to water retention and puffy cheeks.
So how do you get rid of chubby cheeks? The most effective approach is weight loss. As you lose pounds, your cheeks will slim down. Drinking plenty of water, cutting back on salt, getting enough sleep, and quitting smoking can also help.
If excess fat remains in the cheeks even after weight loss, treatments like laser resurfacing, facelifts or injections like Kybella can reduce cheek fat. But these options are costly. Overall weight management is still your best bet for slimming chubby cheeks.
How to lose neck and chin fat
Do you feel like your neck and chin are always the first place you gain weight? You’re not alone. But thankfully, you can take action to lose that stubborn double chin. Here are some tips:
Lose overall body fat
Really focus on losing overall body fat through diet and cardio exercise. When done consistently, you will eventually lose chin and neck fat too.
Do chin lifts and neck stretches
Strength training exercises that target your chin, jaw, and neck can help tone up the muscles in this area.
Fix your posture
Good posture lifts your chin up and elongates your neck, counteracting that double chin effect. Practice keeping your head up when sitting and standing.
Avoid excessive salt and alcohol
Too much sodium and alcohol cause fluid retention all over your body, including your neck. Cut back to reduce puffiness.
Consider Kybella injections
If you still have a double chin after weight loss, injectable Kybella can permanently destroy fat cells in the chin and neck area.
Try Ultherapy skin tightening
Ultherapy uses focused ultrasound to lift and tighten loose skin on the neck and chin. Results happen gradually over 2-3 months.
With persistence and the right strategies, you can lose that double chin for good and look years younger.
How to determine your face shape
Determining your specific face shape can help you choose hairstyles, makeup, glasses frames and fashion choices that enhance your natural facial structure. Here are the 5 most common face shape categories and how to figure out yours:
Oval face shape
An oval face is approximately 1.5 times longer than it is wide. It has a smooth oval contour with no hard angles and is slightly narrower at the forehead and chin.
Round face shape
A round face is about as long as it is wide with soft, full cheeks and rounded chin with no defined angles.
Square face shape
A square face has sharp, angular jawlines and strong chin. Face length and width are nearly equal. The forehead is usually broad.
Heart face shape
This face shape has wide cheekbones, narrower chin and forehead, with a widow’s peak. The chin may point slightly.
Diamond face shape
A diamond face is narrow with high, often defined cheekbones that are the widest part of the face. The forehead and chin are more pointed.
To determine your shape, follow these steps:
1. Pull your hair back and away from your face.
2. Outline the perimeter of your face with a pencil or makeup.
3. Starting at the center of your chin, measure straight up to your forehead and straight across your cheekbones.
4. Compare the length versus width and look at your facial angles.
5. Identify which shape category you fall into based on the characteristics.
Knowing your particular face shape gives you an advantage when choosing the most flattering styles and beauty enhancements for your features.
How does weight loss change specific facial features?
As you lose weight, you’ll notice changes in the visual characteristics of your individual facial features too. Here’s what happens:
Eyes
Your eyes will appear larger and more open instead of small and puffy. The area under the eyes will look brighter.
Eyebrows
Your eyebrows may become more hooded as the brow bone becomes more prominent with fat loss around this area.
Nose
Your nose can appear narrower and more defined as cheek fat surrounding it recedes. The tip often looks more pointed.
Lips
Lips can take on a thinner appearance as plumpness is lost from the surrounding facial fat. Smile lines around the mouth may deepen.
Jaw and chin
These areas transform from soft and round to chiseled and angular with weight loss. Jawline and chin become more visible.
As the makeup of your face changes, you may need to adapt your beauty routine, like using eyebrow pencil to fill in more dramatic arches. But keep in mind, defined features are usually considered an attractive outcome of facial slimming.
Tips to help your face look thinner during weight loss
It takes time for the full results of fat loss to become apparent in your face. But there are tricks you can use to make your face appear slimmer before the dramatic changes occur:
Contour your cheeks
Use makeup like bronzer to create shadow and mimic high cheekbones. Suck in your cheeks as you apply contour along the hollows.
Highlight your features
Play up your lips, eyes and brows. Defined eyes and arched brows give the illusion of a slimmer face.
Wear your hair up
Pulling your hair back in a ponytail or updo reveals your face and slims its appearance.
Trim or shave facial hair
Facial hair like beards and mustaches widen your face. Get rid of them to instantly look leaner.
Dress in dark, solid colors
Darker shades are slimming. Solid prints also slenderize better than busy patterns.
Accentuating your best features while downplaying areas you want to minimize can help your face shape appear thinner as you lose weight.
How does weight gain affect your face?
Just as losing weight makes your face look more defined, gaining weight has the opposite effect. Here are some of the ways face shape changes with weight gain:
Fuller cheeks and jaw
Extra fat in your cheeks and jawline gives your face a puffy, rounded appearance lacking definition.
Wider appearance
Weight gain adds width to your face, especially in the lower third below your cheekbones.
Double chin
Fullness under your chin and along the jaw creates the look of a double chin.
Hooded eyes
Your brows and eyelids can appear heavy and droop downward.
Pronounced smile lines
More fat on your cheeks mean pronounced laugh lines around your mouth.
Less prominent features
With a fuller face, your eyes, nose, lips and other features become less defined.
To minimize these effects, contour your cheeks, avoid sodium and alcohol to reduce bloating, keep your chin up, and color-correct shadowy under eyes. Most importantly, get your weight back on track with diet and exercise.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that losing weight can dramatically alter the shape and contours of your face. With as little as 10-20 pounds of weight loss, your cheekbones, jawline, and chin can become visibly more defined. And the more weight you lose, the more angular your facial structure will become. Be patient through the process and remember that slimming your entire body through a healthy lifestyle is the only proven way to lose face fat for good. Embrace your new sculpted facial features as an achievement to be proud of.