One in eight Britons wouldn’t know how to get rid of stubborn excess fat around the chin area, research shows.

In a survey by body sculpting specialists SculpSure, 12.1% of the British public said they would not know how to reduce the appearance of submental fullness—commonly known as a ‘double chin’.

Almost half (46.6%) said they would try to refine a double chin through diet and exercise. However, this area is notoriously resistant to such methods.

Aside from being a cosmetic issue, double chins can also present medical problems if left untreated. Additional fat around the chin area can lead to breathing complications—sleep apnoea in particular—due to excess tissue crowding the airway in the throat.

Fiona Comport, marketing communications manager at SculpSure said: ‘Several factors can contribute to a double chin and being overweight is certainly one of them. But, as it is impossible to target weight loss to particular areas of the body, diet and exercise alone is not guaranteed to shift stubborn fat from under the chin. Genetics, age, sun exposure and smoking can all contribute to a double chin so even those with a healthy BMI may find they have excess fat in this area.’

A further 14.3% revealed they would perform exercises targeted specifically at the problem area. While exercises such as squeezing a tennis ball beneath the chin, repeated jaw ‘jutting’, gum chewing and puckering the lips can help tone muscles in the area, they are unlikely to make a significant difference to the facial silhouette.

Elaborate makeup techniques such as ‘contouring’—applying light and shade to the face to hide and highlight certain features—can create the illusion of a more refined jawline, but only 3.3% would use this time-intensive method to disguise their chin area.

Research by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) revealed that people are as bothered by a double chin as much as they are by under-eye lines and wrinkles, and cited cosmetic procedures as a way to feel more confident, appear more attractive and look as young as they feel.

The survey also highlighted that the public were largely unaware of cosmetic treatments designed to permanently reduce stubborn fat in this problem area, with only 1.6% opting for cosmetic treatment as a solution.

Fiona concludes: ‘Cosmetic treatments are often overlooked because the public assume they involve surgery. Non-invasive treatments like SculpSure are quick and simple procedures that involve no recovery time but create permanent results, providing the perfect solution for refining problem areas such as a double chin.’