Thanks to the proliferation of jade rollers, Gua Shaand brands like FaceGym, our awareness of facial massage — an ancient beauty technique — is at an all-time high. Astute celebrities like Karlie Kloss and Meghan Markle regularly showcase the sculpting, contouring benefits of hands-on technique, which can improve lymphatic drainage and encourages blood flow for a radiant look. But no matter how much enchanting video As you see on Instagram, understanding the basics of doing a facial at home can be a bit overwhelming.
enter Joomee Song, a Korean-Japanese esthetician and creator of the KAIKA facial massage technique, which she regularly performs in her Faceworks Studio in Los Angeles — occasionally on celebrities like Lady Gaga. The talented facialist uses her intuitive approach to release tension and stimulate collagen production (she’ll even teach you how to do so) almost.)
Song walks us through the benefits of facial massage, how often we should do it at home, and why your hands can be the best tool in your beauty arsenal.
What are the benefits of facial massage at home?
One of the most significant benefits of a facial massage at home is self-connection time. Healthy skin always starts from within, and facial massage is an important way to achieve that. The technique I recommend is not how much pressure you put on your face or even for how long. Instead, it’s about being aware of how you keep tension on your face and how that tension changes by touching it and feeling it every day. I like to test myself when I massage my face. I asked myself, “What made today so great? What made today so challenging? How can I make this situation better next time? ” and such. It is essential to understand your stress level and the facial stress that comes with it and eliminate it at the end of each day.
Another benefit is tight facial muscles causing poor blood flow and poor lymphatic circulation. When our tissues do not receive enough nutrients and oxygen, insufficient detoxification occurs, which can cause acne, redness, dullness, puffiness and sagging cheeks due to the weight of water retention. Massage relieves tension in our tissues and creates healthier blood flow and better lymphatic circulation to help get rid of all of this.
How is a massage at your Faceworks studio different?
My massages at my Brentwood-based studio use a unique protocol called KAIKA™, which means “blooming” in Japanese. It incorporates an ancient form of deep facial massage to lift, firm and detoxify the skin; an orthopedic Shiatsu technique that corrects facial structure; and a unique form of microcurrent that improves lymphatic drainage for optimal skin function.
You focus on stress/stress/drainage relief — what can a facial massage do for that?
When we are stressed, our body goes into defensive mode, and the tightening of the muscles and the grinding of teeth leads to pain in the muscles of the face and body. After two decades of working on facials, I’m convinced they can sustain the burden of stress-related muscle problems because the face and head are the primary reservoirs of stress and anxiety. Many of my clients will treat their headaches and migraines with a facial or sculptural massage.
When we talk about anti-aging, we must remember that the most important factor is healthy blood flow in the skin. Your lymphatic drainage system is located between tissue and muscle, and it has no pumping mechanism of its own; instead, it relies on the movements of healthy muscles and joints to pump. Tight, tense muscles in our faces, especially in the massaging organs, temples, and neck, where the lymphatic system, in addition to jaw clenching and anxiety, can cause pain. more water retention. And lymphatic toxins and waste won’t flow, so you have to stimulate your lymphatic system to detox.
How often should we perform facial massage at home? Why?
If you want healthy, elastic skin then I recommend a face massage every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. When you start a daily facial massage, the immediate benefits of releasing facial tension and aiding lymphatic drainage are evident. However, the real change comes over time as your overall skin texture begins to improve. Elastin, like collagen, is a protein that helps connective tissue keep its shape. Over time, we lose the amount of elastin and collagen in all our connective tissues, but by increasing blood flow to the areas of the body that have lost it, we can rebuild it.
Should we use a tool or just hands? What are the benefits?
I always get asked what tools people should use at home. You can use any tool you like, but always complete the massage by hand. Our fingers have a sensory memory that tells you if your face is more stressed or feels dry, etc., on any given day. Tools do not have this ability. Learn about your face, its texture and the places where you hold tension, and you’ll be amazed with the results.
Join us to learn more about facial massage to take better care of yourself!
We’ve featured a series of homemade facial massages on our social media platforms that anyone can follow, so visit @joomee_song. I also started teaching the simple three-step facial massage technique on the video chat platform Directly bright.
Watch Song share 3 simple facial massage techniques at home to reduce facial tension:
