Can certain face massages minimize wrinkles and sagging skin? - The Globe and Mail

[Renée Reardin]

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Facial treatments that improve circulation to de-puff, lift and define facial features have gone mainstream in the past decade.Getty Images


I started the new year with a beauty experiment that required a robust financial investment and a pretty significant time commitment — no needles, scalpels or laser tools required.

Every day in January, I spent 30 minutes in front of my computer, where a young woman named Anastasia (no last name given) guided me through a US$300 face-massage program. The purpose? To potentially mitigate my interest in Botox and hopefully stave off a facelift for a few decades.

This may or may not sound like a surprising way to spend time and money. Facial treatments that improve circulation (de-puff, lift and define facial features) have gone mainstream in the past decade, and they have existed for centuries.

For 700 years, ancient Chinese medicine has recognized the power of facial massages that help drain the lymphatic system and tighten sagging skin over time (think gua shas and cupping). Westerners are only now catching up.

Today, aestheticians around the world, including facialist Elaine Huntzinger in Paris and Ivàn Pol in New York, specialize in applying face masks and performing extractions, while also executing face-sculpting and lifting treatments. Their services have become so popular, particularly among celebrities who like to pop by ahead of red-carpet events, that they have lengthy waitlists to get onto their tables.

Content creators — some of whom are educated on the subject — are making facial massage more accessible, teaching scrollers how to try to rub their way to youth, often with just their hands.

Anastasia has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, lured in by her personal before-and-after photos as well as those who have been through her program — and the improvements appear significant. Eyebrows are raised, cheekbones more defined, eyes more opened, jawlines more present.

Have the images been manipulated? It doesn’t appear to be the case. A 2022 study by Skin Research and Technology looked at five adults who performed a self-massage twice a day and noted lifting and tightening effects after two weeks.

It probably sounds too good to be true: How could face massage alone minimize the appearance of wrinkles and lift sagging skin?

Massage can help diminish fluid retention, de-puffing the face and helping it look more sculpted and lifted. It also alleviates the tension caused by repeated facial movements that cause wrinkles and sagging skin.

“There’s certainly a benefit to massaging tension out of the face,” says Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology in Toronto.

Take, for example, tension in the masseter, which is the main muscle in the jaw, located near the earlobe. “The masseter’s main job is chewing, but those who grind or clench will have very strong, bulky, hyperactive masseters,” she says.

Massaging the masseter not only offers relief from aches and pains (as indicated by a 2023 study), but also “helps reduce the thickness of the muscle,” Yadav says. The result? A more heart-shaped face.

After a couple of weeks on Anastasia’s program, my features appeared a little more defined, and I looked a little less stressed. What was more: my face felt better. I had less tension between my brows, in my jaw and in random places like on the orbital bones around my eyes.

The massages helped me rub away the tension and recognize the expressions that caused it — so I’d catch myself making them throughout the day and relax my face, looking as carefree as a child.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up with the program: Thirty minutes every day, on top of my workout and getting-ready routine, wasn’t doable. And the results aren’t long-lasting: You need to perform them regularly or the spell will be broken.

It turns out lengthy daily routines aren’t always necessary to achieve long-lasting results. Other content creators teach shorter routines, but if you want to ensure you’re doing it right and will see results, consider seeing a professional.

“We do an assessment, looking not only at a client’s face, but also their posture, breathing habits, tongue placement (where it should be rested), and jaw tension,” says Katie Gervasi, a physical therapist and co-founder of Face Physio in Oakville, Ont. “We also look at the client’s goals and create an individualized program that includes both in-office and at-home treatments.”

“You can’t treat the face and expect benefits without addressing the entire system,” adds co-founder Dalyce Lees. “Everything is interconnected — for example, the fascia from your forehead blends to the back of your skull, so routines shouldn’t concentrate on only the face.”

Gervasi and Lees use their expertise in physical therapy to address the whole body and help their clients achieve better, long-lasting results, whether for aesthetic purposes, such as relieving tension that may be causing deep nasolabial folds, or restoring function, treating patients with conditions like TMJ and Bell’s Palsy.

“The best results come from also doing a home exercise program, so we give our patients five- to 10-minute daily routines to follow between sessions,” Gervasi says. “Compliance is key, so it has to be a sustainable program.”

It’s important to have realistic expectations — facelift-like results aren’t possible without a scalpel. “Facial massage is not a miracle cure,” Yadav says. “Someone with mild to moderate signs of aging may see some benefit, but those with more severe laxity will not observe much difference.”

For maximum benefits, pair facial massage with the right skincare products, including “sunscreen and formulas with active ingredients that help improve texture and elasticity, such as alpha-hydroxy acids, retinoids, and vitamin C,” Yadav says.

Also, “those who don’t get enough sleep, eat high-sodium diets, drink a lot of alcohol, and don’t drink enough water will not see lasting benefit from facial massage to reduce puffiness.”

While facial massages may not be a substitute for professional procedures, they can certainly help you look like you got your best night’s sleep. If you’re careful not to be too aggressive with your skin, which could accelerate skin aging, there’s nothing to lose — except, of course, some of the free time in your daily schedule.