All Your Favorite Celebs Book This Lymphatic Drainage Expert Before Events—I Scored Her At-Home Tips

Come award season (and, well, pretty much every season thereafter), Flavia Lanini is booked and busy. The Brazil-born, L.A.-based lymphatic drainage specialist is more than an IYKYK expert—try a celebrity household name. Naomi Campbell, Gracie Abrams, Shay Mitchell, Kylie Jenner, Tessa Thompson… Her weekly calendar reads like the Time 100 list. If you've ever seen an A-lister walk the red carpet looking snatched to the gods, there's a 99.99% chance Lanini was behind their coveted glow.

As you can probably guess, an appointment with Lanini is something to cherish, especially if you have an important event coming up. Not all of us can easily bop over to the West Coast for a quick lymphatic massage, though, which is why I asked Lanini to share all her at-home de-puffing secrets. She may be the one with magical hands, but learning her go-to techniques certainly can't hurt.

Just one, teeny caveat: You can't really perform a full-body, professional-grade lymphatic drainage massage on yourself. "As much as I wish that were true, I must be honest: It is simply not possible," says Lanini. "The pressure and technique required to effectively reach and stimulate the lymphatic system cannot be achieved using your own hands on your own body. It is not about strength. It is about the angles and precision, which are physically impossible to apply on yourself."

That's not to say you can't drain excess fluid at all—a gentle face-and-neck massage works wonders for tightening the skin, Lanini says. "The pressure needed for facial lymphatic movement is much lighter and easier to manage," she shares. The best part? All you need is 10 minutes, a good face oil, and your own fingertips. Follow along below.

1. Don't "Pump" the Lymphatic System

For those familiar with at-home lymphatic techniques, you might have seen folks "pumping" their lymph nodes (usually with gentle presses at the collar bones) to open up the system before massaging. According to Lanini—and much to my surprise—this is a total myth.

"The lymphatic system is always working, and its flow is regulated by the body itself without the need for external activation," she shares. "Simply gliding the hands and gently guiding the fluids in the right direction is already enough to promote drainage effectively, without the need for unnecessary 'pumps' or pressure." The more you know!

2. Wash Your Face and Apply Serum or Oil

That said, the only prep work required is to clean your skin and provide lots of slip. Grab your cleanser of choice and massage it into your face using circular motions. You can totally use a cleansing brush if you'd like (Lanini prefers one with a gentle vibration setting), but your own two hands will certainly do.

After a few circular motions, use your fingers to sweep outward from the sides of your nose toward your ears. Then move down your neck. "When you wash, you already start supporting your lymphatic system," Lanini notes, so take your time with this first step.

Rinse your face, and then apply some sort of hydrator. "I recommend using whatever you already have at home," Lanini says. "You can use any type of oil or serum." Again, start by applying the product in circular motions. Then sweep outward toward your ears and down to your neck.

3. Massage Your Cheekbones and Jawline

Next, grab a massage tool that has some sort of curved edge to hug the jawline. "You can use whatever you have at home," Lanini says, be it a gua sha, wand, or roller. Similar to the cleansing step, you'll want to sweep outward toward your ear and down your neck. "Always go down," she advises. Repeat for five to 10 passes, and then move the tool north a few inches to follow the same movement—outward and down—on your cheekbone.

No tool? No problem. Lanini says your fingertips work just as well. Simply glide your hands up your jawline toward your ear. Then move them down your neck with gentle pressure. You can also hook index and middle fingers, place your jawline between your knuckles, and sweep outward that way.

4. Target the Forehead

For the forehead, use your tool (or fingers) to glide upward toward the hairline, then downward toward your ear. You always want to end in a downward motion in order to help guide the fluid toward the lymph nodes along the sides of your neck and behind your ears. Repeat this step for five to 10 passes before moving on.

5. Push Up the Brows

The eye area is super delicate, so "I recommend using a good oil for this process," Lanini shares. Feel free to reapply if your skin has soaked up all the moisture, as you definitely want to avoid any tugging. Then place your fingertips just below your brow bone and gently push upward, using short, precise motions—as if you're plucking a guitar string. Move from the front of your brows toward the tail, repeating five to 10 times. If you do have a gua sha tool, Lanini then likes to use the narrow end to circle the orbital bone with gentle pressure. (You can also easily do this with your thumb.)

After these five to 10 passes, repeat steps three to five on the other side of your face.

6. Optional: Follow With Gentle Heat

This step isn't 100% necessary, but Lanini does like to follow up with some sort of warming tool (bonus points if it also features LED technology) to help your serum or oil absorb. "Like everything, go toward your ear and down," she explains.

7. Wash Again With Cold Water

"When you finish, just wash your face with cold water. That's going to tighten everything," she says. This is especially important if you massage with your hands (as opposed to a cool material, like steel or stone), as your skin will be naturally warmed up from all the manipulation. Think of it as the last step to figuratively seal in all that sculpting work.

8. Massage the Arms and Shoulders

Now, if you'd like a bit of extra toning, you can move on to the arm area. "You can use your hands. You don't need to dry brush," Lanini shares. "Just try to relax the muscles." Simply hold one arm out in front of you, circle your wrist with the other hand, then glide your hand up toward your armpit, as if you're rolling up your sleeve. "Send everything to your armpit," Lanini shares. (That's where more lymph nodes are located.)

"The only [body] part I recommend someone do at home is the arms," Lanini adds. "It's the only one we can do really well. The belly is impossible. The legs are impossible."

9. Finish With Legs Up the Wall

That being said, you can help move fluid in your lower body with a simple legs-up-the-wall pose. "Even though it might sound cliché, it really works," Lanini shares. "Use pillows or anything you have to elevate your legs, or simply place your legs up against the wall. This easy-but-powerful technique uses gravity to your advantage. It helps move fluid, including lymphatic fluid, out of your legs and back toward your heart. It may seem basic, but it is a great and effective way to support lymphatic flow at home."

When Should You Do a Lymphatic Drainage Massage?

As Lanini mentioned, at-home modalities won't follow the same techniques as a professional lymphatic drainage treatment. That said, there's really no limit to how often you can give yourself a gentle facial massage—go for it every day, if you please! "Each time you apply your cream, just take a moment to do a quick version of the massage. And when you have an event coming up, you can take a little extra time and do a more thorough massage," Lanini notes.

If you do have an important event on the docket, she recommends following these massage steps the morning of, or ideally three to four hours before. "The more time you give your body to absorb and drain the fluid from your face, the better," she adds. "This helps the result last throughout the entire night."

As for professional treatments? "The trick we use with celebrities before any big event is [having them] come for two or three days in a row. During those days, we perform massages, detox treatments, and everything else they need, all done consistently over those two or three days," Lanini shares.

Aftercare Tips

After receiving a lymphatic drainage massage, Lanini recommends "drinking plenty of water and tea" to maintain results. Aftercare tips are more relevant for professional treatments than everyday, at-home care, but still, staying healthy and hydrated will only benefit your skin in the long run. "Try to focus on a healthy, protein-based diet. That’s it!" she adds.

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