Why get a facial massage? First and foremost, the best reason to get a facial massage is because they feel amazing! Self-care is extremely important. You can’t just cover your skin in skin-care products and get glamorous results. There is much more to it.  You have to eat healthy and make healthy lifestyle choices. Choices like limiting salt, sugar, and caffeine intake. Staying away from processed foods, opting for a diet rich in probiotics instead. Limit unprotected exposure to elements like sun and wind. Light to moderate exercise is also essential for healthy skin.

When you’re going to expose your skin to the elements, protect it with a quality mineral sunscreen like Potency No. 710 Cover or Shaded. Post-workout, you can apply Gold Serum to your body to help rejuvenate and revitalize your skin and use the Modern Mist to apply CBD from head to toe. Take care of the skin you’re in because it’s the only one you get. Doing all of these things gives you the best chance of having healthy, radiant skin. But there is still something else you can and should do. Treat yourself to a facial massage. You don’t have to visit the spa to do this, either. Of course, that’s always a great option when it’s possible, but it’s more likely life has you in a time crunch.

Take 5 or 10 minutes for yourself once a week or more and give yourself a facial massage. You can even have a friend over and give each other facials. There are several types of facial massages and a few types of facial massage techniques.  Let’s explore some of these methods and techniques together while learning how they’re done and what benefits they offer.  

9 Different Types of Facial Massages

There’s more than one way to massage a face. Each type of facial massage offers something different. Not all facial massages are suitable for everyone. If you have sensitive skin that bruises easily or is prone to swelling, make sure you consult a physician before having a facial massage.

Acupressure is a type of facial massage where pressure is applied to certain areas of the face using a circular rubbing motion. This type of massage is very common. Chances are you do this to yourself from time to time. By rubbing certain points on the face, you effectively help promote blood flow, leading to relief from inflammation while improving the elasticity and overall health of your skin.

Facial Cupping is a type of massage that’s centuries old. Small suction cups are affixed to the skin, gently stretching skin tissue. Cupping is reported to help evoke and activate one’s qi. When performed properly, cupping is believed to help promote blood flow and clear sinus congestion. People also say it helps relieve headaches, pain, and inflammation while helping minimize the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and scars.

Effleurage facial massage uses the hands or fingers in a rhythmic stroking pattern to facilitate friction. This type of massage commonly starts a facial massage session as it is a great way to stimulate the skin, promoting healthy blood flow. Beyond increasing blood flow, effleurage may also help relax facial muscles, increase lymphatic flow, improve skin tone, improve skin texture, and prepare the skin and facial muscles for a vigorous massage.

Gua sha is a type of facial massage that originates from China. It uses a special tool to scrape across the skin. The light pressure of the tool helps tone the face by promoting lymphatic flow and relieving muscle tension.  Gua sha facial massage is believed to ease puffiness, sculpt facial muscles, relieve inflammation, reduce pain, and improve blood circulation.

Lymphatic drainage facial massage is a type of massage that uses pressure and slow pumping movements toward lymph nodes to help facilitate the drainage of lymphatic fluid buildup. This type of massage helps eliminate fluids, toxins, and waste in a natural manner. Lymphatic drainage massage isn’t for everyone. If it does apply to your situation, you may find that it helps improve blood circulation and skin complexion while promoting plumpness and firmness.

Reflexology facial massage uses mild pressure applied to the reflexology points on the face. According to facial reflexology charts, there are various zones in our face, from our forehead to our chin and in between. These zones are believed to be connected to various organs throughout our body. According to these charts, our small intestine, bladder, heart, stomach, colon, pituitary gland, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, lungs, and genital system are all connected to our face. This type of facial massage is believed to help reduce stress, signs of aging, and joint pain while also helping with the body’s hormonal health.

Shiatsu is a type of Japanese facial massage that uses mild pressure to stretch muscles and skin tissue in the neck and face. A shiatsu massage can help remove unwanted toxins via stimulation of the lymphatic system. This is believed to help reduce skin puffiness while increasing the elasticity of the skin and promoting an overall healthy skin complexion.

Sinus facial massage uses mild pressure and body heat from the fingertips to massage the muscles and tissue surrounding the anterior, bowman, and seromucous glands that make up the sinuses. A sinus facial is normally done when someone experiences discomfort from symptoms like congestion, headache, facial pressure, or other sinus-related issues.

Swedish facial massage is one of the most popular massages. This type of massage combines friction, kneading, gliding, and stretching of muscles and facial tissue.  Swedish massage can help melt away stress by aiding in the increase of serotonin and dopamine levels while helping to lower cortisol levels. A Swedish facial can help rejuvenate your skin, giving you a great skin tone and a beautiful complexion.

A Closer Look at 4 Popular Facial Massage Techniques

When you get a facial massage, there are a few tried and true techniques that are used regularly. Let’s take a look at four of the most common facial massage techniques.

Kneading is a technique performed with fingers, thumbs, side of the hand, and or palms that lifts and rolls the skin and tissue in a circular pattern.  Kneading helps stimulate and increase skin temperature, reduce tightness, and relax muscles.

Vibrating facial massage uses a tool that sends vibrational pulses to stimulate skin and facial tissue. Some reported benefits from this type of massage include reduced stress, tension, and puffiness. An increase in the amount of oxygen the skin receives, improved blood circulation, and healthy, radiant skin. Vibrating facial massage can also promote lymphatic drainage and collagen production.

Tapping, also known as face tapping, is done using the fingertips to tap acupoints on the face. This technique is known to promote healthy blood circulation and lymphatic flow, helping eliminate free radical damage. It may also help boost collagen production, helping reduce fine lines and helping smooth wrinkles.

Jacquet pinching is a massage technique introduced by French dermatologist Doctor Jacquet in 1907 that uses pinching and kneading motions. It works particularly well for oily skin, acne, and skin blemishes. Jacquet pinching can help improve blood circulation and clear oil ducts, which can help smoothen wrinkles and tighten skin.

Now that we have gone over different types of massages and different massage techniques, let’s explore some of the most commonly reported benefits of a facial massage.

Potential Benefits of Facial Massage

Regular facial massages are believed to help not only the skin but the body as well in many different ways. It is believed facial massages help reduce wrinkles and fine lines, relieve sinus pressure, help control and eliminate acne, and promote healthy blood flow, leading to facial rejuvenation and youthful, radiant skin. They can also help manage scar tissue, promoting the healing process, and can be beneficial for individuals who suffer from temporomandibular joint conditions (TMJ).

Here are excerpts from two separate PubMed articles published on the NCBI website that support the benefits of facial massage.

“Facial massage appeared to show lifting and tightening effects.”-NCBI

“With a device that delivers properly tuned stimuli, skin massaging provides an efficient anti-aging strategy.”-NCBI

Having healthy, radiant skin can lead to improved self-confidence, which helps to boost how we feel overall. Feeling beautiful can make you feel better, not just about yourself, but it can actually help me make you feel better. Alleviating sinus pressure and pain, tenderness in muscles from inflammation, and getting the benefit of improved skin tone from it is a win-win for anyone who enjoys facial massage.

Making smart lifestyle decisions combined with a good skin care regimen, like using Potency No.710 products and regular massages, can leave you feeling great about the skin you’re in.