I love skincare. But sometimes, even my favourite products aren’t enough to tackle my puffy morning face. That’s why learning how to do lymphatic drainage at home has switched up my routine.
I first encountered facial massage via every millennial’s favourite skincare consultancy –Instagram – where I became obsessed with watching the before and after videos of Facegym’s ‘workouts’ (a facial with a difference, in which professionals perform massage and lymphatic drainage techniques at hyper speed, for an instantly ‘lifted’ look).
My skin has never looked better.
Armed with evidence that this manual approach to skincare actually works, I was determined to start incorporating some of these techniques into my own regime at home. And after studying videos, doing my own research and a lot of trial and error, I’ve finally found a regime that works for me.
I’ve also found that while there are instant benefits to facial massage, the long-term effects are even better. When done regularly (alright, I miss the odd morning here and there), facial lymphatic drainage and massage can reduce puffiness, boost your complexion, reduce fine lines and even create a more ‘sculpted’ look.
For the first time in my life, my forever-round face now has a semblance of the cheekbones I’ve craved since I was a teen.
But with so much ‘information’ and ‘guidance’ out there, where do you start? Here, two skin experts share their tips on dipping your toe into the world of facial massage – from how to ensure you’re targeting your lymphs for drainage to the right products to use for the perfect amount of ‘slip’.
In this article:
→ What are the benefits of facial massage?
→ Where do you start with facial massage?
→ How to do lymphatic drainage massage at home - what’s the first step?
→ How often should you perform facial massage to see results, and for how long?
→ What skincare should you use to perform lymphatic facial massage?
→ What’s a beginner’s routine to follow for facial massage and lymphatic drainage?
→ What techniques can you use to target more specific concerns?
→ Which tools can you use to boost lymphatic drainage and help with facial massage?
What are the benefits of facial massage?
“The benefits are honestly endless,” adds beauty industry educator and practitioner Sophie Anne Perry, whose Instagram reels on how to approach facial massage were my first entry point to trying it at home, and whose techniques I still follow regularly.
These are just a few:
- Brighter skin
“Facial massage brightens our complexion because we are increasing microcirculation – blood flow – helping to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the skin tissue,” says Annee de Mamiel, skincare specialist and founder of de Mamiel skincare.
“Facial massage also aids our lymphatic system, which is responsible for flushing out waste through the tissues," says Sophie. "This system doesn’t have its own ‘pump’ and relies solely on movement and breathing to flush fluid through.”
As Annee explains, massage will “stimulate the lymphatic system, moving pockets of fluid that can make you look puffy, reducing congestion and giving you a more ‘sculpted’ look.”
And it’s not just about the physical. Facial massage can have emotional benefits, too: “We hold stress and tension in our facial muscles, commonly in the jaw (masseter muscle) and brows (corrugators)," says Sophie. "Facial massage is the only way to help release the built up tension and stress, much like a back massage does.”
“There are also huge mental health benefits: massage has been proven to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), alleviating anxiety and depression," she continues.
"This, in turn, helps with inflamed skin, as if the body is in a high stress state, this can manifest on the skin in many ways, such as accelerated ageing, skin conditions and breakouts.”
Seriously worth the hype.
Where do you start with facial massage?
A quick search for facial massage tips online will likely bring up a host of products, tools and devices claiming to offer major benefits and dramatic results.
A lot of these can make a real difference to your skin (see below for tried-and-tested recommendations), but it’s a lot for any beginner to take in.
So, Sophie recommends leaving out the tools – at first, anyway: “I thoroughly believe our hands are our most powerful tools! For me, intuitive work starts with our hands, so if someone is new to these practices hands are the best place to start.
“Our muscles require oxygen and energy in the form of repetitive movement for optimal health – practices such as facial yoga and massage generate this, maintaining a healthy structure of which our skin sits on top of.
“So, [use your hands to] get to know your facial structure, finding out where you might hold tension, where you might feel a little puffy in the morning,” she says. "Once you start to notice the benefits, fall in love with the work and understand more about your facial structure, then elevate your practice with tools.”
How to do lymphatic drainage massage at home - what’s the first step?
While facial massage might look like lots of soothing stroking motions (and, often, it is), if you’re looking to stimulate your lymphatic system, there is a technique and order that should be followed to target the specific lymphatic nodes and drainage points around your body.
“That’s what is meant by ‘clear or open the lymph pathways first’,” says Sophie. “I explain it like a traffic jam: once the cars can move at the source of the build-up, the rest can then follow through.”
In our case, the ‘source’ of the build-up is the neck – the most important pathways and drainage ‘hub’, says Perry.
“It’s located in the hollows just above the collarbone, named the terminus, where fluid drains into our bodily systems. Start by working with light drainage motions [gentle strokes, taps and ‘pumps’ of the skin – you can see the technique in one of Sophie’s videos] from the ear down to the neck, finishing with pumping motions at the clavicle.
"Repeat at least 5 times – it is the most important and simple step to start any facial routine!”
How often should you perform facial massage to see results, and for how long?
“I believe one of the reasons many people shy away from starting facial massage is because they are under the impression you need to calve out an extra 20+ minutes daily to see results, and you don’t,” says Sophie.
“I recommend doing it daily because we move our body daily, so it only makes sense to include a little more assistance to the facial structures. Add in some specific movements while cleansing your skin in the shower, or while applying your skincare products to your face that you’re already doing – habit stacking!"
In Sophie's book, The Natural Facelift, she curated ’The Core Routine’ – techniques to be included in your current facial routine that take less than 5 minutes.
“It focuses on daily movements to assist the lymphatic [system], stretch, tone and strengthen facial muscles, as well as boosting blood and oxygen flow for a healthy skin complexion,” she says. "Sticking to this means results can be seen in as little as two weeks, and if you do have extra time a few times a week, build on it – that can only mean more results!”
What skincare should you use to perform lymphatic facial massage?
Considering facial massage consists of sweeping your hands (or tool of choice) across your skin, it’s important to apply product first to create ‘slip’, to avoid tugging on your skin.
“I always opt for a nourishing oil or balm, for glide on the skin and also all the hydrating benefits that come with using," Sophie says. "With all the boost in blood flow from massage, the skin welcomes the added ingredients.”
As Sophie mentioned earlier, one way of starting out with gentle face massage is to practice while you’re using a cleansing balm – choose a rich, buttery formula and work it into the skin while boosting circulation for double the benefits, without adding time to your morning regime.
Otherwise, try a rich moisturiser, or an oil layered over your usual skincare – start sparingly, adding more product if needed, to ensure it fully absorbs into the skin.
Weleda Skin Food Cream
- Consistency: Rich cream.
- Skin type: Dry and very dry skin.
- Key ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, sweet almond oil, beeswax, glycerin.
Why we love it: If you're prone to seasonal damage, whether it's caused by the heat or the cold, this face cream can help keep your skin from getting too cracked and chapped. Powered by extracts of calendula, chamomile and viola tricolour, as well as a base of oils and beeswax, this affordable product also doubles as a body cream and can be used on areas that are especially prone to dryness, including your hands, feet and elbows.
What’s a beginner’s routine to follow for facial massage and lymphatic drainage?
There are so many sources online you can reference – Sophie’s book and Instagram account, for one.
But to instantly de-puff, Annee de Mamiel – who is trained Chinese medicine and acupuncture – recommends incorporating these simple acupressure steps into your daily routine:
Try de Mamiel’s Winter Facial Oil.
Do so until you feel that little dent right under the bone, almost in the middle of the cheek.
Release and repeat several times. This helps to stimulate the cheek muscle and move it upwards – in Chinese medicine, it is also the Stomach 3 point, so this also helps with digestion.
Again – just above where the nostril starts to flare out – you should find a little dent.
Repeat several times as this point helps to drain the sinuses and remove any puffiness on the cheeks.
Again, you will find a dent – this can be sore but the more you press the more you are releasing tension, while also opening and brightening the eyes. (Note: I’ve started doing this to combat my usual early-morning puff, and it works wonders on my under-eye bags.)
“This routine is great to do in the morning or before going out – whenever you feel your face needs brightening, energising and contouring,” Annee says.
What techniques can you use to target more specific concerns?
This is where facial massage can really come into its own, providing hands-on solutions and relief from tension. “I get asked a lot about TMD and techniques to help alleviate tension in the jaw from teeth grinding, as well as hooded eyes,” says Sophie.
“For tension release, buccal massage is wonderful and can be done yourself at home! Facial knuckling helps to release built-up tension, while working across the cheeks in circular motions builds up heat, creating blood flow and movement.
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“Hooded eyes can largely be down to puffiness – this area tends to hold fluid due to poor circulation with thin tissue. I’d recommend performing eye circles using an eye cream of choice [we love Soho Skin Eye Cream] to help,” continues Sophie, who recommends this routine:
- Work upwards and out, using your ring finger and middle finger together to apply medium pressure through the brows
- Lift up and slow down to ease tension
- Lighten up on the pressure as you sweep back under the eyes towards the bridge of the nose.
- Repeat as many times as you like before noticing some warmth to the area.
Which tools can you use to boost lymphatic drainage and help with facial massage?
Once you’ve mastered the technique using your hands, there are tools out there to boost the effects of your lymphatic massage – from manual options to electronic devices.
First up, the gua sha: likely the tool you’ve seen all over your social media feeds, used to enhance facial massage – and my personal favourite tool of choice.
“Gua sha is also one of my all time favourite practices," says Sophie. “The lymphatic drainage benefits are incredible, and you see the results instantly. I love using different edges and sizes to focus on different needs, such as ‘teeth’ for boosting circulation and a mushroom gua sha stone to help with tension release.”
To kick things up a notch, there are tools that use microcurrent and EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) to target and stimulate the facial muscles to provide a more contoured appearance in just minutes.
Take the Foreo Bear 2, which uses four different types of microcurrent to tone the 69 muscles in your face and neck, while the Facegym Pro uses pulsing current at low, medium and high frequencies to bring about involuntary muscle contractions (expect your lip to twitch without you realising, it’s a weird yet fun sensation) to strengthen muscle fibres and improve skin firmness.
