Between on-demand workouts and Zoom calls, pamper yourself with a lymphatic massage courtesy of Joanna Vargas. The beauty guru recommends lymphatic massages to reduce puffiness, eliminate dark circles, and to lessen breakouts. Whether your skin is dry, oily, or combination, anyone can benefit from this massage and do it themself at home (with a little practice).
1. Start with clean, dry skin and position your index and middle fingers just underneath your ears, in the soft indentation behind your jawbone. Usong gentle but firm pressure, rub your fingers down, then loop back in a “J” motion. Continue this “J” pattern three times, then move to the middle of your neck, right on the sides near your arteries.
2. Repeat the same steps on the base of your neck, along your collarbone, chin, and jawline.
3. Move to your under eyes, massaging in the “J” pattern along your eye orbit, from the sides of your nose to just below the outer corners of your eyes. End at the place where your cheekbones meet the sides of your eyes. If you have puffy eyes, especially in the morning, this will dramatically improve under eye bags.
4. To move the excess liquid through your lymphatic vessels, massage the sides of your face, towards the top of your ears, then shift down to the middle of your ears, then to the bottom of your ears, where your jawline begins.
5. Now, reposition your fingers on your forehead, above your eyebrows. Rub three times here, then move along your forehead, massaging in the middle, and finish at your temples. If you’re prone to breakouts on your forehead, this will help clear your the inflammation that triggers them. Because the fluid needs to drain, move to your ear position and massage there, then finish along your neck. It’s vital you remember your neck, because this is where the excess liquid eventually drains out into your tissues.
