Chin Laxity

Collagen and elastin are the skin's support fibres, made deep in the dermis by cells called fibroblasts. With age these cells slow down, so less new collagen forms while the collagen already there fragments and weakens. Elastin, which lets skin spring back, is barely renewed after youth, so the skin around the chin firms up less and gradually loosens.

Much of the chin's projection comes from the bone beneath it. With age this bone gradually recedes, like a shelf slowly drawing back, so the chin looks less projected and the skin over it has less to rest on. Together with softening skin, this leaves the chin and lower face looking less defined.

The skin and soft tissue over the chin keep its surface smooth. As fibroblasts make less collagen and the deeper support weakens, this tissue loosens and can bunch, sometimes giving the chin a dimpled or uneven look and softening the line toward the neck.

The chin juts forward and meets the sun directly, yet sunscreen often stops short of it. That repeated UV exposure breaks down the collagen and elastin that keep the chin and the skin beneath it firm, so this small but prominent area loses its smooth line and starts to crepe sooner than covered skin.

Lifestyle weighs on the chin as well. Smoking, alcohol, pollution and poor sleep raise oxidative stress that wears down the fibres supporting this area, while a sugar-rich diet stiffens them through glycation. As the support softens, the skin under the chin loosens and the once-clean line between chin and neck blurs.