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I've always taken pretty good care of myself. I exercise daily, drink at least two liters of water a day, have a thoughtful skincare routine, and generally eat healthily. But some days I feel more bloated and puffy than others, and I have been desperate to find a solution. I did a pretty hefty Google search and ended up on Instagram scrolling through lymphatic drainage before-and-after pictures.
To be clear, the lymphatic drainage massage has been around for decades. It's long been a popular technique in countries like France and Brazil, but it's really started to gain traction in the U.S. in the last few years (hence the lymphatic drainage images flooding my feed right now). Using specific movements, the technique targets the lymphatic system and helps stimulate the natural drainage of lymph, a colorless fluid that carries waste away from your body's tissues. "When you have fewer toxins and retain less edema in your body, you have less inflammation," says massage therapist and lymphatic drainage expert Camila Perez. "When you increase the number of defense cells in your body, it's good for your immune system, so managing and reducing inflammation levels is a great technique for disease prevention."