A Lymphatic Therapist’s Go-To Facial Massage For An Instant Glow

In order to maintain a healthy glow on the outside, you need to tend to your inside. When toxins build up, it will show up on your skin. Alcohol and cigarettes, for example, cause your blood vessels to dilate, leading to fluid retention in the form of puffiness and bloating.

Lymphatic self-massage can also be very beneficial for people who struggle with eczema. A while back, a client who’d been suffering from eczema for more than a year came to see me when she had a red rash at the base of her neck and ears. She had been doing acupuncture and hot yoga, but her eczema had persisted. She told me that she also developed rashes that came and went in her elbow creases, in her armpits, and at the tops of her thighs—the main areas of lymph nodes. 

I saw her monthly for a few months, taught her self-massage, and recommended that she take a break from hot yoga as the heat might be inhibiting her lymphatic system. She was diligent with her self-care practice a few times a week and stopped turning up the heat when she did yoga. Within a few months, her rash was gone and her skin tone evened out. She was truly amazed by the power of her lymphatic system in action.

The lymph in the face ultimately empties to the venous angle in the subclavian vein at your collarbone. This process drains impurities from your face and down your neck, which can clear out trapped bacteria, one of the root causes of breakouts.