How to Fix Weak, Soft Jawline and Receding Chin

Find out how your jawline affects your attractiveness and how you can influence it
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Certified specialist with 5 years of extensive dental and orthodontic experience
How to Fix Weak, Soft Jawline and Receding Chin with Mewing
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Would you like a better facial aesthetic with a prominent jawline? Many people want to reshape their receding chin to feel more confident. A weak jawline and receding chin has a softly rounded angle that can make a person look older than they are.

Some people develop a receding jawline as they grow older due to an overbite, while others are born with it.

You can fix a soft jawline using several exercises known as mewing (read our guide on how to mew properly), using fillers, or surgery in extreme conditions. You will need to combine mewing with facial exercises, chewing, and fixing forward head posture for the best results.

Why Is Jawline So Important?

Is a weak jawline a turn-off? The jawline is the most defining feature of the human face, and it frames all facial features and is an indicator of age. The shape of the jaw determines sexual dimorphism in both men and women.

A beautiful jawline is important to both men and women.

A strong and well-defined jawline gives women a model look that is very attractive by today's beauty standards. In men a strong chiseled jawline indicates virility and strength.

Check out these jawline transformations: Mewing Before & After

What Is a Weak Jawline and Weak Chin?

A weak jawline also referred to as a soft jawline or a weak chin means you have an undefined jawline. The end of your chin has a rounded angle. It is important to note that a bad jawline does not affect your ability to talk, smile, or eat.

Many people develop a weak jaw due to genetics, mouth breathing, poor tongue posture, and not chewing hard foods while growing up. Some people might develop a short jawline, while others have no jawline as they get older. 

The disappearance of the jawline is mainly due to the reduction of collagen and elastin, which causes the skin to sag and lose its elasticity.

Is a weak jawline and chin a turn off for both genders?

While it is true that many people associate a strong jawline with attractiveness, especially in men, the perception of a weak jawline as a turn-off is not universal. Beauty standards vary across cultures and are influenced by individual preferences. For some, a weak jawline may be seen as endearing or attractive, while others may prefer a more pronounced jawline.In the world of fashion and entertainment, a defined jawline is often seen as a sought-after "model look." Many actresses and models possess strong jawlines, which can contribute to a striking and memorable appearance. However, for other women, a weak jawline might be considered more feminine, contributing to a softer and more delicate facial aesthetic.

Can weak jawline be attractive?

For most men, a strong jawline is often considered more desirable, as it is typically associated with masculinity, confidence, and strength. A well-defined jawline can create a sense of balance and proportion in a man's facial features, contributing to an overall attractive appearance.

For females, a strong jawline can create a captivating and unique appearance often associated with a "model look." A well-defined jawline can give a woman's face a leaner, more sculpted appearance, emphasizing her facial structure and creating striking angles.

This look is often seen on fashion runways, in magazines, and on the silver screen, as it catches the eye and makes a memorable impression. Although beauty standards and preferences are subjective, a strong jawline in women can contribute to a stunning and distinctive aesthetic that many find appealing.

For women, a weak chin can be attractive as it can create a more delicate and feminine appearance. This subtle curvature can accentuate other facial features, such as the eyes and lips, creating a harmonious and enchanting overall look. Some people may find this gentler appearance alluring, as it highlights the softer side of a woman's beauty.

What Is a Receding (Recessed) Chin?

Also referred to as retrogenia, a receding jawline or recessed chin slopes back towards the neck rather than lying flat or jutting out. This happens when the lower mandible is not aligned with the upper jaw. It can be related to severe health issues, but it is often a cosmetic issue for most people.

A weak chin results from a receding chin or a chin that is small and sloped backward. In women, a weak or receding chin makes the nose appear too large, and in men, it gives a less masculine appearance.

Receding chin and weak jawline in men and women
Receding chin and weak jawline in men and women

A weak jawline affects the face proportions in both genders.

Strong Chin and Jawline Vs.  Weak Chin and Jawline

You might be wondering how to spot a face with a jawline vs. no jawline? Here is a look at some of the features to look out for when spotting a strong jawline or no jawline in a person.

Strong Jawline in Men

A strong jawline is rectangular and square. It means that your jawbone appears externally on your face, creating the typical normal jawline. Therefore, if a person has a well-defined external jaw bone, they have a strong jawline.

actors with strong jawlines
Many Hollywood actors can be examples of strong jawlines

Strong Jawline in Women

Today more than ever, strong jaw lines are viewed as attractive features of a woman's face. This is driven by the popularity of social media and the general increase of the importance of appearance. Many successful actresses and models are distinguished, among other things, by their strong, pronounced jaw lines.

women with a strong jawline
Women with a strong and defined jawline

Weak Jawline in Men

A weak jawline or soft jawline is when the chin is smaller than other parts of the face. In most cases, the chin appears to be sloping backward, while in some people, there is no jawline completely.

Michael Cera Makes His Directorial Debut On YouTube
Weak and soft jawline in men

Studies show that a strong jawline increases a man's sex appeal. It is also an indicator of more testosterone which naturally attracts potential partners to them.

Your genetics play an important role in the shape of your jawline, but there are other factors, including poor diet, lack of regular physical exercise, poor tongue posture, and mouth breathing, that can contribute you a weak chin or a soft jawline.

Check out our guide on proper tongue posture.

Weak Chin and Jawline In Females

Strong Jawline Vs Weak Jawline in women
Strong Jawline Vs Weak Jawline in Women

A weak chin in females is seen as unattractive in today's beauty standards. Most girls wish to have a sharp jawline with defined cheekbones. A sharp jawline comes out well in selfies, and with today's social media craze, that is all most people are looking for.

A soft jawline in females is caused by having an unhealthy lifestyle like eating junk food often not exercising regularly,  mouth breathing, and poor tongue posture which causes the development of a double chin and puffed face, making the jawline much broader than sharper.

Read: why do i have a double chin when im skinny

A weak jawline is characterized by:

  • Wrinkles around the mouth
  • No definition between the chin and neck
  • Poorly defined jawline
  • An overbite
  • A visible double chin

In extreme cases, a weak jawline can be a sign or can lead to some of the following problems:

  • Pain
  • Jaw misalignment
  • Problems talking or eating
  • Sleeping disorders
  • Orthodontic problems such as crowded wisdom teeth and adult teeth.

Some of the causes of a weak jawline are:

  • Excessive thumb sucking
  • Pierre Robin Sequence

A weak chin vs. a strong chin can create a vast difference in the quality of life of a person.

Get a better jawline in just 28 days

Get rid of a double chin and get an attractive jawline with a daily mewing workout

What Causes a Weak Jawline?

Why don't I have a jawline? Why my chin is small and jawline is soft and not defined? If these are some of the questions you keep asking yourself, we are here to help. Here are some double chin causes that might be why you have a soft jawline.

Poor Tongue Posture and Mouth Breathing

Regular mouth breathing affects the posture of the tongue which causes the development of a long narrow face, crooked teeth, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, headache issues, and a receding jawline.

Read: mouth breathing ruined my face
Jawline of nose breather vs mouth breather

Genetics

Most of your physical features are influenced by your genetic make-up and the environment you are in. Some people are unlucky to have a genetic double chin. This means that their genes affect the structure of their face. 

However, factors like mouth breathing and poor tongue posture will cause a receding chin.

Ageing

When you get older, the angle of your jaw increases which reduces the definition in the lower portion of your face. As you grow older, the volume of your jawbone also decreases. This means less support for the surrounding soft tissues, which might cause skin sagging.

Thumb-sucking

Children tend to suck their thumbs as a response to anxiety and stress. Most children stop sucking their thumb around the age of 5, but they might alter the shape of their jaw bone if they continue.

Persistent thumb sucking may cause the teeth to move, altering the jawline. Adults who suck their thumb are also prone to a weak jawline. It is important to note that thumb-sucking can alter the jawbone only when done vigorously and regularly.

Overbite Jawline

Having an overbite (underbite vs overbite) means that your front teeth over overlap the bottom front teeth. When this happens, the lower jaw is positioned too far back than it's initially supposed to be, causing a weak jawline.

Eating soft foods

The type of foods you ate while you were a child affects the shape of your jawline as an adult. If your diet consisted of soft food while growing up, your jaw might be very weak.

On the other hand, chewing hard foods puts a mechanical load on your jaw, which increases bone remodeling.

Double chin caused by thyroid

Hormones play a huge role in the functioning of the body. When your thyroid gland makes too little thyroid hormone, you will likely get puffiness under the chin. Hypothyroidism can cause overall weight gain in the body and the neck region.

Salivary gland inflammation

In some cases, a double chin results from an underlying medical condition such as inflamed salivary glands. This can be the case if a person suddenly develops a double chin.

The salivary glands can have gland infection, salivary stones, or inflammation which can cause the areas to swell up quickly.

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How to Fix a Weak Chin and Jawline?

If you wonder how to get rid of a weak chin, you have come to the right place. There are several ways you can make your weak chin stronger.

Ways to fix a weak chin include surgical processes where you can have a filler or a chin transplant.

Recently experts have discovered how to fix a receding chin with exercise, which is the cheaper and non-invasive option that almost everyone can employ.

Exercises for Weak Jawline and Receding Chin

Here are some exercises you can use to fix a weak jawline and chin to look better.

Mewing is one of the best exercises for fixing weak jawline

A technique introduced by Dr. John Mew, a British Orthodontist, the mewing technique involves flattening your tongue against the roof of your mouth. This movement is said to help realign your teeth and help define your jaw.

Check out our article "Does mewing work?"

How to Mew correctly

To get a defined jawline keep your tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth
To get a defined jawline keep your tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth

If you are wondering how to start mewing, here is a quick mewing guide that will show you how to mew:

  1. Keep your mouth closed and your teeth gently touching
  2. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and lightly press it on
  3. You should feel slight pressure throughout your jaw
  4. Ensure that you do not block your airway as you breathe
  5. Keep this position for as long as you can. 

In addition to improving your facial features, mewing will also help you with:

  • Breathing problems
  • Speech disorder
  • Swallowing problems
  • Sinus inflammation
  • Sleep apnea

Face Exercises for Jawline

These are easy to do exercises that you can do anywhere. With these exercises, you do not need any equipment. All you need is the time from your schedule and consistency to see results.

While doing some of these exercises, you might look silly, so you might want to do them alone or with people you are comfortable with.

1. Chin-ups

While doing chin-ups, you will need to lift your chin and face muscles. You will pull your lower jaw outward while lifting your lower lip to stretch the muscles under the jawline and chin.

Hold the position for 10 seconds and then relax. Do three sets of this exercise with 15 repetitions.

2. Moon Kissing

With moon kissing, you will need to straighten your neck muscles and look up. Then form your lips into a kiss and lift your lower lip as far as possible.

You should feel a tugging on your throat and neck region. It would help if you repeated this exercise about 30 times and then took a 5 minutes break before moving to the next exercise.

3. Vowel sounds

Making vowel sounds is a great way to exercise your jaw muscles. When making these sounds, you need to target the muscles around your mouth and the sides of your lips.

Remember to say the sounds with your mouth open while exaggerating the sounds and lip movements without touching or showing the teeth.

4. Jaw clenching

With jaw clenching, you will need to hold your teeth together for about 3 seconds while using a special mouthguard provided by your dentist.

This exercise is great for the jaw bone. Do three sets of exercises with ten repetitions.

5. Chewing gum

Chewing gum is one of the best ways to exercise your facial and jawline muscles. Gum chewing might be the only exercise on this list that will not make you look silly while doing it. Check out our article of does chewing gum help jawline.

Make it a habit to chew gum daily to ensure your jaws are in the best shape.

If you have inborn deformities, various defects, irregularities of the facial and jaw bones, diseases and disorders of the temporomandibular joint development, anomalies of the teeth position, you should first consult a doctor.
Also, if you have problems with the temporomandibular joint or if you notice signs of bruxism or disorders of tone (hypotonus or hypertonus) of the masticatory muscles, you should consult a specialist/doctor/dentist in the first instance.


Fix Forward Head Posture to Improve Your Jawline

You can fix the shape of your jawline by fixing your forward head posture with some chin exercises. Here are some of the chin exercises you can try:

McKenzie chin tucks

This is a method used to correct forward head posture. It is a simple exercise that you can integrate into your daily routine. Here is how to perform the exercise:

  1. Stand against a wall with your back and hips touching the wall
  2. Place your feet a few inches away from the wall
  3. Touch the wall with the center of your head and make sure that your chin is protruding outwards and your tongue is in the proper position
  4. Move your head upwards for your chin to move inwards and hold the position for 5 seconds
  5. Do 20 repetitions of this exercise.

Change Your Diet to Improve Your Jawline

Your diet also contributes to the shape of your jawline. Here are some of the ways you can use your diet to improve your jawline:

  • Eat less salt. Excess salt leads to water retention in your body. The water retained can make your body and face look puffy. So make sure that you cut back on processed foods and snacks if you want your face to look slimmer.
  • Reduce body fat percentage. Reducing the amount of body fat in your body also reduces the amount of fat around your face. Ensure that you exercise at least three times a week. You can take up lightweight lifting or jogging, which will help trim the fat and give you more defined features.
  • Stay hydrated. Water gets rid of the toxins in your body. So when you consistently take water, you will not be as flushed and plump, and you will have a more toned face.

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Surgical Ways to Fix Weak Chin

Other than facial exercises, you can fix a weak chin with surgery. Here are some of the surgical procedures used to fix a receding jawline.

All of these treatment options can only be prescribed by a specialist after a complete examination and diagnosis.

  • Dermal fillers and Botox. Dermal fillers and Botox are the ideal options for people who want to see how they will look without any long-term commitment. The fillers provide a very accurate representation of augmentation without the surgical procedure. If you are unsure about permeant augmentation, this would be the best route for you.
  • Neck liposuction. Neck liposuction is performed by inserting an ultrasound probe under the skin. The probe has a vaser that melts your fat cells while tightening the collagen fiber under your skin. This procedure helps eliminate the excess fat while tightening the sagging skin around your neck. It also eliminates the need for a lower facelift or neck lift surgery. Neck liposuction can take around one hour, and it is performed under twilight sedation, but some patients choose to go under general anesthesia.
  • Neck lift. Also known as a lower rhytidectomy, a neck lift is a surgical procedure used to reduce the visible signs of aging around the neck and jawline.
  • Chin augmentation. Chin augmentation involves fitting an implant on the bone of the chin just below the skin to improve or refine the bone contour of the chin area. The procedure is mainly done under the projected chin.
  • Fat grafting. Fat grafting involves placing fat under the chin to help reduce wrinkles, sun damage, and loose skin.
  • Thread lifts. Thread lifts involve placing temporary sutures to produce a lift on the skin. Thread lifts are designed for people looking to improve their skin laxity and produce immediate results with no downtime. Thread lifts also produce long-lasting results compared to Botox and other fillers.

What are the Weak Jawline Complications?

  • Eating & Expression. A weak jawline affects the placement of the teeth, which can make it hard to eat and make different facial expressions. It can also lead to difficulties in pronunciation and crowded teeth.
  • Sleep Disorders. A soft jaw can cause sleeping problems such as excessive snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The misplacement of the jawline means that the tongue can rest around the airway, which can cause sleeping problems.
  • Poor Self Confidence. If you are conscious about your chin, it can affect a different aspect of your life, including where you hang around and the hairstyles you choose. The media have already set beauty standards. When you feel like you do not fit in with the beauty standards, you might have low self-esteem.

Conclusion

A weak jawline can cause different problems, including breathing problems, sleep apnea, and low confidence. You can decide to fix your jaw either through surgical procedures or use facial exercises to fix it. However, remember that you can fix it with mewing and other facial exercises over time unless it is a life-threatening medical condition. Stay happy and beautiful.

Resources:

  • https://www.spine-health.com/blog/ways-improve-forward-head-posture
  • https://www.healthline.com/health/mewing
  • https://www.healthline.com/health/weak-jawline
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/style/jawline-tightening-surgery-treatments.html
  • https://www.healthline.com/health/bone-health/forward-head-posture

 

The information provided in this article is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or a substitute for professional guidance. Mewing and other techniques mentioned on this website may not be suitable for everyone, and individual results may vary. We strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional, such as an orthodontist, dentist, or myofunctional therapist, before starting any new oral or facial exercises, particularly if you have existing dental, orthodontic, or health concerns.
Written by
Wambui Njuguna
June 27, 2023