Gua sha, dry brushing, and even cupping have all been hailed as ways to get your lymph moving—but the heavyweight champion lately is the lymphatic drainage massage. While the aforementioned techniques go back hundreds or even thousands of years, the concept of heading to a massage therapist, facialist, or doctor to give your lymphatic system a rubdown is much newer.
Lately, we’ve seen a rise in celebrities attributing their smooth, glowing, and noticeably tighter complexions, and overall improved well-being, to this treatment, including Jennifer Aniston, Lizzo, and Hailey Bieber.
What does this procedure entail, though? According to Jacob D. Steiger, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida, lymphatic drainage massages are gentle stimulations to the lymphatic system to get rid of swelling and inflammation throughout the body. The lymphatic system is the direct target of this massage, and because it’s naturally passive—relying on gravity and movement—it depends on humans to act as its “artificial pumps” to keep things moving, says Dr. Steiger. This movement is imperative to our body’s function.
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