How to do a facial lymphatic drainage massage

Heard the buzz around lymphatic drainage and wondering if it’s all it’s cracked out to be? Spoiler alert: it is. And no, you don’t need to enlist the skills of a fancy masseuse, as you can do it right in the comfort of your own home using your hands and a few skincare staples. To give yourself the best chance of success, you’ll need to brush up on your lymphatic knowledge, so today, we’re weighing in on all things lymphatic drainage massage. We’ll touch on what it is, what the benefits are, and how to do lymphatic drainage for your face in five steps.

What is lymphatic drainage massage?

It’s an ancient massage technique that’s widely used in the beauty sphere due to its role in stimulating the lymphatic system – a group of organs that play a key part in the immune system. It involves gentle sweeping motions that direct lymph fluid (containing toxins and waste) towards your lymph nodes, where it’s filtered out, stopping it from spreading to the rest of the body.

Lymph nodes are found all over the body (think behind the ear, jaw, abdomen, groin and more), but today, we’ll be focusing our attention on facial lymph drainage massage to bring you one step closer to a more contoured complexion.

What are the benefits of lymphatic drainage massage?

Restores radiance —Massaging your complexion helps to boost blood flow to the area and deliver oxygen to the skin. Translation: revived and radiant skin – coming right up!

Reduces puffiness—By directing excess fluid towards the lymph nodes, lymphatic drainage helps to reduce swelling and bring definition to the face, especially in areas prone to water retention (e.g., the eyes and cheeks).

Relieves facial tension—If you’re a serial jaw clencher or find that you tense your face when you’re stressed, massaging the skin can encourage your muscles to relax, helping to reduce muscle tightness.

Encourages relaxation—Whether you’re taking five or fifty minutes to massage your skin, facial massage helps to stimulate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation. Why not light a candle and pop on some relaxing music while you’re at it?

How to do lymphatic drainage for the face

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Step 2: Start with your neck

Begin with a gentle massage at the top of your neck using a flat palm or your gua sha. Sweep in a downward motion to encourage fluid to flow towards the lymph nodes around your collarbone. This will also get you used to the massage sensation before moving towards more delicate areas on the face.

Step 3. Move onto your jawline and cheeks

Starting in the middle of your chin, sweep your fingers or tool along your jawline towards the back of your ears – repeating a few times.

From your ears, sweep down your neck to your collarbones. Continue this same motion under your cheekbones, to the ears and then down to the collarbones again.

Pro tip: If you want to apply more pressure, use the knuckles of your index and middle fingers for a deeper massage.

Step 4. Work on your eye area

For many, this tends to be the puffiest area, but it’s also the most sensitive, so gentle pressure works best here.

Using your fingertips, sweep lightly from the inner corner of your eyes, under the eye and out towards the ears.

Repeat this motion a few times before sweeping down towards your collarbones to help drain that fluid away.

Step 5. Finish with your brows and forehead

Create a ‘V’ shape with your index and middle finger, then trace above and below your brows, gliding out towards your temples a few times.

Next, sweep your fingertips from the centre of your forehead to your temples, repeating multiple times.

Finish your at-home lymphatic drainage massage by gliding your fingers from your temples towards the back of your ears and down towards your collarbone.