If you’ve consumed beauty and wellness content on social media lately — and if the answer is “no,” you have my full respect — maybe you’ve been exposed to the #lymphaticdrainage craze.
Influencers in New York and around the world are using a variety of techniques to manually drain fluid from the lymph nodes behind their faces with the goal of a de-puffed, lifted face with nicely defined cheeks, chins and jawlines
There are lymphatic facials, which aim to encourage drainage from the entire face; buccal massage, sometimes called the “inner facial” because it takes place inside your mouth with a focus on the cheeks. Gua sha offers massage via a small tool made of metal or stone; and then there’s face yoga — exercises that strengthen, tone, massage and stretch the facial muscles.
These practices are often paired with “workouts” that have folks manipulating and contorting their facial muscles in truly hilarious ways, involving moves like lip puckers and tongue clucks. (If you’re not familiar with mewing, buckle up.)
Why I wanted to try lymphatic drainage
I accept the sag of certain features as payment for the wisdom of age. But all this beauty content had me wondering … could a lymphatic drainage massage turn back the clock and redefine my facial features, even a little?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, healthy lymph nodes will drain themselves — that’s a big part of their job. An important element of immune function, the roughly 600 nodes throughout the body are tasked with clearing out damaged cells, bacteria and other harmful substances.
There is little data published in peer-reviewed literature on facial lymphatic massage — much less on its impact on one’s jawline. But it is well documented that massage can help alleviate swelling in patients with lymphedema, a condition in which the fluid pools as the result of cancer or surgery.
Dr. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of…
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