Lymphatic drainage is one of the best and easiest ways to boost the results of your in-clinic treatments at home. Suitable for all skin types, it can help to reduce swelling and puffiness, reducing your recovery time and leaving you looking radiant and refreshed.
What is lymphatic drainage?
Our lymphatic system is vital to our immune system and overall health, delivering nutrients while carrying away toxins and waste. However, unlike our circulatory system, our lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump. Instead, it relies on muscle contraction, diet, exercise and physical manipulation to function normally. The last point is where lymphatic drainage comes into play.
Lymphatic drainage is a massage technique that involves applying light pressure to specific points of the face and neck. This gently drains excess fluid that may be blocking our body’s healing process and strengthens our immune system.
Benefits of lymphatic drainage
A technique that has been used in medical settings for decades, lymphatic drainage produces many benefits to the skin, including:
- Reducing swelling and puffiness
- Clearing congestion and acne
- Brightening dullness and dryness
- Improving sensitivity
- Smoothing fine lines
- Speeding up healing
- Fading dark spots
- Increasing cellular turnover
It can really help to not only boost the results of your in-clinic treatments but also improve your overall skin health.
How to do lymphatic drainage at home
We recommend incorporating lymphatic drainage into your nighttime routine as it will help to depuff and rejuvenate your skin overnight. The process takes around 20 minutes to produce maximum results so if nightly is too much, try and set aside one or two nights a week instead.
To perform your own massage at home, firstly apply a serum or moisturiser to your face and neck to create a slip on your skin. Then:
- Starting along the jawline, massage in downward circles from the jawline to your neck
- Then, move under your chin, continuing to perform circular motions from the centre of your chin, outwards
- From there, move to the centre of your face and massage from the centre, out
- Then, move back down to your chin, circling from the centre of your chin, out
- From there, move upwards to your cheeks and circle from the centre, out
- Then, move to your orbital bone around your eyes and gently circle from the centre and along the bottom and out and then along the top ridge and out
- From there, move down slightly to circle along your cheekbones and out
- Finally, move up to your forehead and starting from the centre, massage in gentle circles moving to the outer corners of your face
It’s important to use gentle circular motions throughout your lymphatic drainage. If you notice any redness or flushing then you’re pressing too hard. Always make sure to focus on your neck first as to effectively drain, you need to first open up the nodes that are lower down.
Lymphatic drainage is not recommended for use if you have a fever or a heart condition or if you have active acne as you can inadvertently spread bacteria. As with all treatments and products, always seek expert advise prior to use to ensure it is right for you.
For more information, contact our Artisan experts today for a complimentary consultation.