Morning puffiness is a challenge for many of us — who hasn’t woken up with their face feeling a little swollen? This is caused by swollen lymph nodes in the face, which fill up with fluid overnight, creating that puffy look. So why doesn’t this happen during the day? Although your lymph nodes process fluid day and night, when you sleep, your body isn’t moving as much as it does during the day, meaning that fluids are more likely to gather around those lymph nodes in your face.

How to reduce lymphatic swelling?

This bloated feeling can be quite bothersome, but remember that this is the normal function of the body’s lymphatic system. It works as a natural drainage that removes toxins and enriches cells with amino acids, oxygen, and other essential nutrients. However, it’s important to note that light swelling is different from swollen lymph nodes or lymphedema, which suggest an underlying medical issue is at play and may require the attention of a doctor. But, you’re here because you want to avoid that morning puffiness in the face and enable your lymph vessels to work more effectively. In this article, we’ll help you do just that by exploring the importance of the lymphatic system, figuring out how to improve poor lymphatic drainage in the face, and explore lymphatic drainage massages for your face that you can do at home.

What causes lymphatic build-up in the face?

The lymphatic system is a complex network of vessels and lymph nodes that extends throughout the body. As the lymph circulates, it removes cell waste and nourishes our tissues and organs with essential nutrients, helping maintain proper fluid balance and protecting our bodies from infections. Working as an effective immune shield in our bodies, the lymphatic system has one major downside – lymph flow stagnation. This can occur for many reasons:

• Lack of physical activity
• Poor diet or hydration
• Surgeries
• Chronic inflammation
• Tight clothing

The list goes on and on. Lymph blockages can easily affect our face, so we get puffiness above and under the eyes, swollen lymph nodes in the face, less expressive cheekbones, saggy jawline, and more. That’s why tackling lymph stagnation with face exercises for lymphatic drainage is essential, especially if you’re prone to lymphatic build-up in the body. But is it really a solution? Luckily, it is. Facial lymph node massages can help to improve lymph drainage throughout the body, giving you that slimmed down look after a massage.

What is a face lymphatic drainage massage?

Unlike the blood’s circulation system, which has its own pump, the lymphatic system relies on muscle contraction and physical manipulation to stimulate its flow. That’s where a lymphatic drainage massage for the face becomes especially beneficial. Facial lymphatic drainage is a set of special massage exercises that help improve the movement of extra fluid in the face from swollen areas to lymph nodes. Contrary to a facial muscle massage, lymphatic massage doesn’t require intense pressing. It’s a gentle massage with gentle skin stretching and releasing along the lymph pathways. This helps to encourage lymph movement and promote health within the body’s system.

Why should I try a lymphatic massage for my face?

Lymphatic drainage exercises for the face have proven effective not only in the beauty industry but also in healthcare, providing quick results for patients after heavy treatments. Poor lymphatic drainage from the face can make you feel heavy and puffy, lowering self-esteem and your mood. However, with a few at home lymphatic drainage massage techniques on hand, you can start to feel the benefits and boost your skin tone as well and your mental health. Before and after lymphatic drainage massage pictures are some of the best to look to see which results are potentially achievable for you. But if you decide to try for yourself, it’s always worthwhile taking before and after pictures to see the impact of lymphatic drainage for your face and skin tone. You can also choose to do the exercises on one side of your face only, compare the results before and after the lymphatic drainage massage, and finish your massage on the other half of your face. This will give you a clear understanding of the impact of lymphatic drainage from the face, and what’s possible.

Benefits of lymphatic drainage for face & skin

The visual benefits of the lymphatic drainage self-massage are fairly visible from the get-go:

• Reduction of puffiness
• Healthy glowing skin
• Smoother skin texture
• More shaped and lifted facial features
• Increased exchange of substances between cells
• Improved drainage of waste produced by cells

However, the magic really comes down to how you feel about your body and your look after the massage. This is as much about self-care as it is about health, so take the time to appreciate the effort you put in and the results you’re bound to get.

How to: lymphatic drainage at home

You don’t need to refer to any specialized beauty practitioners to perform lymphatic drainage self-massage. This technique is rather simple to learn and doesn’t require much time. So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to massage and drain your lymph nodes in the face and neck.

Step 1: Activate your neck nodes

Beginning with your neck nodes will help you warm up the lymph fluid flow from your face into your neck nodes and heart. Here is how to drain lymph nodes in the neck naturally. Generally, it is advised to begin low, around the neck and clavicles in order to open the channels allowing space for the remaining fluid to flow.

Many people note that they may feel the need to clear the throat as they feel the lymphatic fluid drain. This is entirely normal and expected in a lymphatic massage. Here’s how it works:

• Put your index and middle fingers together on one side of your neck, right above the collarbone.
• Slowly move your fingers down and inwards in the direction of your collarbones. Don’t press on the skin too much, and keep your fingers above the collarbone.
• Now, start massaging the area of your neck closer to your shoulder and gently stretch the skin to the middle of your neck.
• When massaging, draw the imaginary letter “J” from your shoulder to your neck, keeping your fingers above the collarbone. Repeat this action 10-15 times on each side.
• Well done. Now you’ve learned how to drain lymph nodes in the neck, it's time to move upward to the face.

Note: we’re often asked, “is it ok to massage swollen lymph nodes in the neck?” and the answer is, it depends. If this seems like regular puffiness, it may be ok, but if you’ve had a recent infection or suspect something is going on, please consult your medical professional before starting any routine as infection could spread.

Step 2: Reduce the puffiness around your eyes

Puffiness around the eyes is the most common sign of lymphatic stagnation. To minimize the swelling above and under your eyes with the eye-tapping technique.

1. Start by rubbing your palms together to generate warmth.
2. Next comes tapping. Use your fingertips to gently tap around the eye area, following the orbital bone. Begin from the inner corner of your eyes, move along the eyebrow line, and circle down to the outer corners, finishing under the eyes.
3. Repeat the tapping motion for about 1-2 minutes, ensuring that you are gentle to avoid stretching the delicate skin around your eyes.

This technique helps stimulate lymphatic drainage and improve circulation, reducing puffiness and swelling around the eyes. Now let’s work under the eye area. Place the tips of ring fingers at the inner corner of each eyebrow. Gently circle the full eye starting above the brows, tracing smaller and smaller circles. Repeat 8-10 times then change directions following the same method. Nice work! Now it’s time to move on to the third and final step for the face yoga lymphatic drainage massage.

Step 3: Pinch your cheeks and jawline

Face yoga lymphatic drainage is a great way to reduce the swelling in your cheeks, making your cheekbones and jawline more pronounced. Unlike other lymphatic drainage exercises, this one is a bit more intense:

• Gently pinch your cheeks, lips, and jawline from the center of your face towards your temples. This will help to contour the lines of your face by activating your facial muscles and lymph nodes. Repeat 5 times.
• Finish by gently stroking down the neck to enhance flow.

And done. Complete these activities often and you will notice an improvement in your skin’s appearance.

It’s not all about the massage: lifestyle tips to enhance the lymph flow

Facial lymphatic drainage is a great way to remove extra fluids from your face, and it doesn’t require much time. Only 10-15 minutes a day produces a significant, visible result. For a better effect, apart from daily lymphatic massage, you can also incorporate small rituals in your daily routine to make your lymphatic drainage even more efficient. What you can do to enhance your lymphatic drainage:

• Start being more active – this doesn’t necessarily have to be exhausting workouts in a gym. Just a 30-minute walk will make a big difference.
• Regulate your hydration – drinking water throughout the day in small sips will help your body draw the extra fluids out.
• Don’t eat salty foods, especially before bed – salt makes your body accumulate water, which can result in facial swelling in the morning.

The wonderful thing about practising lymphatic massage is how tender and gentle the process is. The lymph nodes reside just under the skin so a light glide over the surface of the skin is a soothing approach to fluid reduction and brighter complexion.