The earliest noticeable signs of skin aging appear on your face. Your facial skin is the first to bear the burden of pollution.
Facial massaging is a proven way to enhance skin health and beauty. It is a technique in which you gently stimulate the muscles and tissues of your face with your hands or a special massaging tool. Face massage has been in use since ancient times and evolved over the years in terms of technology and tools available to maintain youthful, glowing skin.
Table of Contents:
- Why include facial massaging into your skincare routine?
- Reduces signs of aging
- Pushes toxins out
- Helps achieve radiant skin
- Improves crepey skin
- Allows skin products to be absorbed better
- Relieves sinus congestion
- Fades acne scars
- Reduces puffiness in face
- Perks up tired eyes
- Relaxes you
- Face massage tips
- Hands or face massager?
- How often should you give yourself a face massage?
- How long should a face massage be?
- How do you prepare for a face massage?
- When do you do face massage?
- Three Face Massage Techniques to Try at Home
- Gua sha
- Face massage to reduce wrinkles
- Face massage for lymphatic drainage
Why include facial massaging into your skincare routine?
Including facial massage in your skincare routine can make a big difference to the way your skin looks and feels. If you're asking yourself how, these ten reasons are sure to get you thinking.
Reduces signs of aging
Fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots are a part of aging. But a face massage can lighten their appearance and keep your skin looking youthful.
Here's why:
A facial massage boosts blood circulation, which helps produce more collagen, the skin's building block. Collagen gives your skin its strength and elasticity. The amino acids in collagen help minimize the appearance of dark spots and acne scars. More collagen means better skin.
Pushes toxins out
Factors like environmental pollution, diet and lifestyle choices cause toxins to build up in the skin. The toxins strip your skin off its glow and trigger breakouts.
Turns out that a gentle facial massage not only improves blood circulation but also stimulates lymphatic drainage. The body's lymphatic system serves as a filter against toxins. Massaging your face is a simple and effective way to push toxins out of lymph nodes for healthier and better-looking skin.
Helps achieve radiant skin
Who doesn't want their skin to look 'awake' and supple? Achieving glowing skin is a sum of many factors, such as lifestyle, diet and genetics. Facial massaging plays a part too, all thanks to its ability to encourage blood flow.
Improved blood circulation and detoxification livens up tired skin and - other factors considered - can give your skin a healthy glow.
Bottom line: it is possible to turn fatigued skin to luminous skin, and massage is among the effective ways to put your best face forward!
Improves crepey skin
Dry and wrinkled skin that looks like crepe paper, or what we generally refer to as crepey skin, can occur due to several reasons, including hormonal changes, stress, tobacco use, and a lack of hydration. A facial massage can complement other solutions to reduce crepey skin.
Here's one example:
Dryness exacerbates crepey skin. Avoiding dehydration and keeping the skin hydrated using moisturizers are recommended skin firming solutions for the face and neck.
Collagen repairs skin affected by dehydration, and massaging is a way to boost collagen production.
So, a gentle facial massage can be helpful in fighting crepey skin.
Allows skin products to be absorbed better
Rubbing the skin increases permeation of the active ingredients in skin creams and lotions. In other words, you can get more from your skin products by simply massaging your face when you apply them.
For a fresh and revitalizing fragrance to your face massage, think about adding a few drops of essential oil to your moisturizer.
Take your pick from WOW Skin Science' rich range of essential oils in various alluring scents.
Relieves sinus congestion
Suffer frequently from sinus headaches or nasal congestion? A stuffy nose, facial pain and headaches can ruin your day and make focusing on work difficult. Along with nasal saline sprays and hydration, facial massaging can also offer relief.
Facial massages help break up the mucous collecting in the sinuses, easing pain and allowing you to breathe better. For this to work, you need to put pressure on the appropriate areas of your face.
Fades acne scars
Depending on the severity of acne scars, dermatologists recommend suitable procedures and/or topical ointments. Facial massaging can help with early scars and mild to moderate scars.
Early scars can heal and minimize from the enhanced blood circulation due to facial massaging.
Mild and moderate scars are usually permanent and may be treatable using dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, skin needling and other procedures.
By detoxifying the skin and improving its texture, face massages can complement other scar revision techniques, lightening the appearance of stubborn acne marks.
Reduces puffiness in face
Woke up with a puffy face? This is often due to water retention, which can occur due to eating too much salt or when you’re on your menstrual cycle. Massaging is a surprisingly easy way to get rid of the puffiness faster.
One of the functions of lymphatic tissue is to remove excess fluids from body tissues. A facial massage pushes the excessive fluid in your face to the lymph nodes in your neck.
Perks up tired eyes
While a cold compress and cucumber slices/tea bags are mainstays to reduce puffiness around the eyes, face massage rollers have emerged as a popular home remedy.
You can give yourself a massage at home to tackle face and eye puffiness before that important meeting or dinner date.
When choosing a face massager, make sure it's easy on the fragile skin under your eyes. You can always use your hands or a tool that effectively targets the delicate areas of your face.
Relaxes you
Looking for a quick way to de-stress?
Celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas tells InStyle that a face massage is effective in helping emerge from stressful moments.
As Instyle quotes Vargas, “Your skin responds to any type of self-care, and taking an extra five minutes to de-stress and think good things about yourself during a face massage will absolutely pay off and help you feel better during this stressful and strange time.”
Face massage tips
What do you need to give yourself a face massage at home? How often should you massage your face? Get to know the facts to maximize benefits of face massage.
Hands or face massager?
The human touch has a powerful healing effect. According to science, it can activate our parasympathetic system, which slows our breathing and heart rates, and helps us enter a state of relaxation.
A face massage, even if it is a self-massage using your hands, can have a calming effect on your skin and mind.
A face massager is purpose-built to be gentle on your face while addressing skin concerns, ranging from wrinkles, puffiness and tired skin to bloating, sagging and dark spots.
Here's a look at some popular tools:
-
Gua sha: This is an ancient Chinese pain-relief and healing technique that promotes the flow of 'qi' or 'energy' in the skin. It uses a smooth-edged facial massage tool made of semi-precious stone to awaken tired skin in just a few minutes.
-
Jade roller: Face-rolling tools are made from jade, rose quartz or other crystals that have a cool and smooth surface. A face massage roller applies pressure throughout your face to push fluid away from it to the lymph nodes. It is ideal in removing puffiness.
-
Sculpting bar: This is a battery-operated tool that vibrates on the skin for a lifting, toning and tightening effect. It also helps your skin soak up products better.
- Ice globe: As its name hints, an ice globe is a cooling facial massage tool, a sophisticated version of rubbing ice on your face to get rid of puffiness and irritation. It soothes sunburn and brightens your skin - a handy accessory during your vacations to sun-kissed destinations!
Whether you use your hands or a tool, make sure you go easy on your skin and follow a recommended massage technique for full benefits.
How often should you give yourself a face massage?
A face massage 2-3 times a week will go a long way in promoting blood circulation and lightening fine lines. A regular face massage isn't necessary. What matters more is that you stick to a consistent schedule.
How long should a face massage be?
If you have acne-prone or oily skin, massage for no longer than 10-15 minutes as overstimulation may cause or worsen a breakout. For dry and normal skin types, it is not necessary to do more than 20 minutes per session.
How do you prepare for a face massage?
- Always clean your hands or massage tool before the massage to avoid breakouts.
- Cleanse your face and pat it dry.
- Apply face oil, lotion or light cream as this creates adequate friction between your face/tool and skin during the massage.
Stroking skin that has no product applied with your hands/tool tends to overstimulate, stretch, and irritate your skin. It is best to use a face massage oil designed especially for this purpose.
If a product catches your eye, do check whether it suits your skin type.
When do you do face massage?
A morning, evening, or bedtime routine each has their own benefits.
A morning massage is helpful in awakening your skin.
Stimulate your skin in the evening for detoxifying and reducing puffiness.
Massage your face at night to enhance product absorption and relax tense facial muscles.
Three Face Massage Techniques to Try at Home
With so many benefits of face massage, it would be a shame not to spare a few minutes each week to give your face the tender loving care it deserves.
Take a look at these massage techniques for healthier, better-looking skin.
Gua sha
This technique applies pressure on and scrapes the skin to stimulate the microcirculation of facial blood vessels.
Follow these easy steps:
- Cleanse your face and apply face oil, serum, moisturizer or cream.
- Hold the curved side of the gua sha towards your face while the flat side rests on your skin.
- Start at the base of your neck. Gently stroke the tool down the neck to drain fluid.
- Move on to your jaw line, chin and the areas around your mouth. Work the tool in small, horizontal strokes in one direction, not back and forth. Stroke each area 3-5 times.
- Next, sweep the tool across your cheek and glide it under your eyes. Holding the tool flat to the skin, stroke gently under the eyes to target the puffiness.
- Finally, make small horizontal strokes over the brow bone. Alternatively, you can hold and press between your brows. This helps relieve facial tension.
Face massage to reduce wrinkles
This simple, at-home facial massage technique helps soften the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
As usual, begin by cleansing your face and dab a face massage oil suited to your skin type.
WOW Skin Science Vitamin C Face Serum is a great choice as it contains botanicals that help restore your skin's collagen structure and give your skin a smoother appearance. And you can use it worry-free no matter what your skin type.
Steps:
- Sweep your fingers down the bridge of your nose, tracing the shape of your face. Continue gliding your fingers under your eyes and outwards.
- Place your fingers over your cheekbones and sweep gently outward. Repeat the same movement under your cheekbones.
- Continue with more of the same, this time on your forehead. Work your fingers from the center of your forehead towards your hairline. Use your thumbs to sweep vertically from the top of your eyebrows to your hairline.
- With the side of your index fingers towards your face, sweep from the bottom lip down to the jawline.
- Glide the index fingers of both hands from the center of the chin to the ear.
- End with swift strokes up your neck to your jawline.
Face massage for lymphatic drainage
A lymphatic drainage massage applies light pressure and specific motions to encourage the movement of excess fluid from the face down to the lymph nodes in the neck.
Steps:
- Apply a light cream on your face, such as the WOW Skin Science Aloe Vera Multi-Vitamin Face Cream that banishes dryness and irritation thanks to a potent combination of Vitamins A, B3, B5, C and E along with Aloe Vera Extract.
- Take a jade roller and roll from the center of your face outward. Move it gently, following the shape of your face.
- Place the tool at the center of your chin and roll slightly upward towards your ears.
- Roll down the edges of your face and then move it down your neck to guide the fluid downwards.
A facial massage is something you should start today. Begin slowly to ease into a technique that works well for you. Maintain a consistent routine to reap the desired benefits of face massage over time.
Recommended Products
No recommended products
Related Articles
No related articles
Latest posts: