Ah the lymphatic system - something many of us have never really bothered to think twice about. But I do, because I have learned over the past couple of years how important it is to skin health and after this, you will too.
While we have lymph nodes all over our body, we are going to focus on the face today, because that's really why we are all here to begin with. So, what what is the lymphatic system and why do we care about it when it comes to our face?
The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system and the immune system. It works hard to expel daily toxins from our body, while simultaneously bringing oxygen and nutrients to the skin. Lymph itself is a clear to white fluid made up of white blood cells. Unlike our cardiovascular system, our lymphatic system has no pump to keep stuff moving, so it needs help through exercise, breathing techniques, and massage to keep it flowing. When you have stagnation in in your face (or really anywhere), you can experience puffiness, sinus congestion, and inflammation. By helping to break up areas of stagnation our circulation improves, and puffiness, congestion, and inflammation decrease.
A lot of people will turn to peels and exfoliation for a brighter complexion, but what they really need is lymphatic drainage. I too look brighter when I exfoliate my legs, but that really isn't what I'm looking for (because darn it I want to be tan!) and all I am doing is sloughing off my tan skin cells, not getting to the root of the cause. Better circulation is going to help improve dull skin, dark circles, and even puffiness under and around the eyes.
When it comes to a facial, a massage is always going to help bring blood closer to the surface through manual stimulation which is great and brings life to the skin, but it isn't the same thing as moving and draining lymph. The easiest way to do lymphatic drainage on the face is through gua sha, since you're starting in the meridian and working your way out and down to flush with very gentle movements. You can also do manual lymphatic drainage for your neck if you're dealing with breakouts with gentle pumping movements or the back of a spoon like I went over in my gua sha video or you can also dry brush. Dry brushing is most well known for body dry brushing, but they do have mini facial dry brushes that you can try. If you really want to go all-in for more natural immune system support, here is a super helpful diagram on how to correctly dry brush your body:
Where you see the arrows going in a circle are where your lymph nodes are! If I could get myself to do this daily I could tell you that my cellulite isn't a big problem for me, but it is because I am lazy - but I do have friends who have spoken to dry brushing's perk of helping with cellulite when you know... it is done consistently.
So before you drop a ton of money on a cream to lighten your under eyes or help with puffiness, do some lymphatic drainage or ask for a gua sha facial next time you get one, because you'll be doing your face more than one favor, and in a world where everyone could use a boost to their immune system, this is a lovely way to help yours out. And always remember to drink a lot of water throughout the day after!
Questions? Drop below 👇🏼
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