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A Daily Face Massage? Here’s The Good, Bad And Ugly Sides Of It

- Boon or a bane?

Urmi Dande

November 7, 2023

You wake up and instead of your regular morning skincare routine, you treat yourself to a face massage. No, we’re not just talking shop. To discover the many advantages, demystify the process and explore the viability of this exploding trend, we spoke with Dr Sravya Tipirneni Reddy, dermatologist and trichologist and Dr Madhuri Agarwal, Founder and Medical Director, Yavana Aesthetics Clinic.

Benefits Of A Daily Face Massage

Practising a daily face massage has a host of benefits. “It can help increase blood flow to the face, which can bring oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells–leading to a healthier, more radiant complexion. It can additionally help reduce swelling by stimulating lymphatic drainage, which can help remove excess fluids and toxins from the face,” explains Dr Sravya.

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and nodes that help to remove waste products and toxins from the body. Seconding Dr Sravya, Dr Madhuri says that lymphatic drainage reduces oedema and puffiness of the face. It increases the blood flow, decreases dullness and facilitates lymphatic flow to remove excess fluid and toxins from the face.

On a more surface level, the ritual can improve the absorption of skincare products. This is because it helps loosen up the dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. As all massages do, practising a face massage also relaxes facial muscles, which can in turn reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Skin Prep And Movements

A contradicting opinion to practising a daily face massage is the notion that tugging on your skin can cause wrinkles and saggy skin. This won’t happen if you prep your skin for the ritual properly. According to Dr Madhuri, if you rub or pull the skin in the wrong manner, you can end up causing inflammation and irritation on the skin.

Dr Sravya recommends cleansing the face before practising a face massage. This will help to remove any dirt, oil or makeup that could clog the pores. Using a light oil or moisturiser will help to reduce friction and make the massage more comfortable. She also suggests massaging the face for at least 5 minutes, but no longer than 20 minutes.

A face massage can be practised using your fingers, a gua sha stone or a jade roller. While both tools give a more uniform pressure over the face, the pressure applied by hands can vary.

Massaging With Fingers

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Cleanse your face and apply a light oil or moisturiser.
Place your fingertips on your forehead and gently massage in a circular motion, working your way down to your cheeks and jawline.
Use your fingertips to massage your temples and around your eyes.
Use your thumbs to massage your jawline and neck.

Massaging With Gua Sha

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Cleanse your face and apply a light oil or moisturiser.
Hold the gua sha stone at a 45-degree angle to your skin and gently massage in an upward motion. If you’re using a jade roller, hold it in a horizontal position and gently roll it over your skin in an upward motion.
Start at your forehead and work your way down to your cheeks, jawline and neck.
Be sure to avoid using the tool on any irritated or inflamed areas of your skin.

Cons Of A Daily Face Massage

While Dr Sravya believes that a daily face massage is quite beneficial, Dr Madhuri is opposed to the idea of practising it daily and says, “Ideally, avoid a daily face massage as one should know the anatomy of the face well to do so. For those with oily or acne-prone skin, a daily massage can lead to acne flares, while for those with dry or sensitive skin, this can get irritated when done incorrectly.”

While there are no major issues, Dr Madhuri believes that those with a history of heart failure, blood clots, persistent swelling with symptoms and any lymphatic infection in the past must be careful while doing lymphatic drainage in massage, and those who have gone through facial procedures like lasers, peels or fillers must consult their dermatologist beforehand as it can disturb the treatment results.

Dr Sravya finds that there are very few cons to practising a daily face massage. However, it is important to be gentle and to avoid using too much pressure. “If you have any sensitive skin conditions such as rosacea or eczema, it is best to talk to your dermatologist before starting a daily face massage routine,” advises Dr Sravya.