How To Give Yourself A Natural Facelift With Lymphatic Drainage Massage

Of all the signs of aging, it's definitely those that start to appear on the skin that bother us the most. But what's even more bothersome is when fine lines, droopy skin, and wrinkles start popping up prematurely.

This is when the cosmetic industry will try to convince us that we need all sorts of procedures to reverse the hands of time and have us looking like we're in our early twenties again. But what the doctors and estheticians who are too keen to prick you with needles and inject you with neurotoxins won't tell you is that you can make your skin appear plumper, smoother, and more radiant by just helping it move excess fluid around better.

Enter lymphatic drainage massage – one of the most efficient anti-aging treatments that can be done from the comfort of your own home and with no more than five minutes of your time. A gentle massage that helps your lymphatic and vascular systems by increasing circulation and eliminating toxins, this treatment is not only fast but also incredibly effective at erasing everything from fine lines and wrinkles to even getting rid of inflammatory conditions such as acne, while making the skin look young, plump, clear, and radiant.

So, if you're not keen on indulging in any of the modern "miracle treatments" that promise to turn back time, continue reading this guide, where we will show you how to give yourself a natural facelift with your fingers and delay the appearance of aging signs with a daily lymphatic drainage massage. You’ve probably seen clips of all different versions of lymphatic massage on social media, but today I’ll be describing the method I use as an esthetician. 

Prep Your Skin

Before you start, you need to prep your face by applying a non-fragrant oil on freshly cleansed and dried skin. Gently massage the oil into your skin, starting at your neck and working up to your forehead. This will allow your fingers to glide more easily over the facial muscles, which helps facilitate a smooth and pleasant massage.

Open Your Lymph Nodes

Next, you want to open the lymph nodes by applying gentle pressure on your clavicle, jaw, and temples. Use pulsing strokes to massage the area in a circular motion, as this will help stimulate the lymphatic system and encourage it to flush toxins from your face.

Massage Your Neck

Once the lymph nodes are prepped, you can move on to massaging the sides of the neck by placing two fingers behind the ears and slowly moving them down. This will stimulate the cervical lymph nodes and help tone the skin while promoting lymphatic drainage.

Repeat the movements three times, only going down and not up, as you want to encourage the lymphatic system to flush toxins down, not bring them back up towards the face.

Sculpt Your Jawline

Tilt your head to one side, hug the jawline between your index and middle finger, and hold for a few seconds before continuing to work the area upwards to sculpt your jaw's definition. Then pull towards the front of the ear where the parotid lymph node is located and down the side of the neck to drain excess fluid.

Repeat the same steps on both sides up to three times while always moving upwards and then down to help stimulate circulation and give you a more youthful appearance.

Lift Your Cheeks

To promote firmness in your cheeks and to give them a plump and youthful shape, start by placing your hand flat on the buccal lymph nodes opposite the angle of the mouth and gently pull outwards toward the parotid lymph node in front of the ear and down the neck to drain.

You can do this with both hands at once; however, it's easier to follow the natural motions of the lymphatic system if you start with one side and then move on to the other. Remember to always move upwards, outwards, and then down the neck to promote drainage.

Shape Your Eyes

To lift and shape the eyes, begin by placing the ring finger on the inner corner of the eye and slowly pulling towards the temples. This will stimulate the infraorbital lymph node and help drain any built-up fluid that may be causing puffiness and dark circles. Additionally, pulling the skin up and outwards around the eyes will help lift the eyebrows giving you a more open-eyed look.

Repeat this motion up to three times on both sides, and finish by pulling lymph down the sides of the face and neck.

Smooth Your Forehead

Finally, to smooth the forehead, use the middle fingers of both hands to stroke in an upwards direction across the forehead. Repeat this motion three to five times with both hands, and then finish by pulling down each side of the face to encourage lymphatic drainage.

As you can see, there are many different approaches to giving yourself a natural facelift! Here are a couple more detailed examples of a full face and neck lymphatic drainage massage. Try out different movements and see what works best for you!

Closing Thoughts

An excellent self-care routine with the additional benefits of a natural facelift and a boost of radiance, lymphatic drainage is easy to do and can make all the difference when it comes to achieving a healthy, glowing complexion. So why not give your skin the gift of youth by sparing a few minutes of your day to practice this gentle massage that will make all the difference in how you age?

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