Start with light pressure on your forehead, cheeks, and lips. This helps boost blood flow without being too harsh on your sensitive skin. These soft movements can speed up recovery, making your post-surgery experience smoother. Using mild pressure is soothing for pain receptors.
Lymphatic self-massage is a gentle skin massage where the skin is gently stretched and released along lymph pathways. Lymphatic self-massage helps move extra fluid from swollen areas damaged by cancer treatment. This extra fluid can be moved into an area where the lymph nodes are working well.
Place your index and middle fingers above your eyebrows and gently rub in a circular motion. Slowly move your fingers diagonally toward the middle of your forehead before slowly moving toward the temples. This should take about 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat one to two more times.
Gua Sha Facial Massage Technique
Using your gua sha tool, you apply a combination of strokes across the face with soft pressure, which helps with lymphatic drainage and can reduce bloating. "Gua sha tools are created specifically to the curvatures of the face," Kimmel notes.
Types of Oils: Different oils such as rosehip, jojoba, seabuckthorn, camellia, marula, clary sage and olive oil are recommended for their unique benefits, like moisturizing, anti-inflammatory properties and compatibility with various skin types.
For best results, you should perform scar massage for at least 10 minutes, twice a day, for six months. You should only stop sooner than that if the scar starts showing signs of infection or you experience intolerable discomfort.
Medical Treatments for Scar Tissue
Corticosteroids can be injected into raised scars, such as keloids and hypertrophic scars. These injections help reduce inflammation and scar size. Cryotherapy involves freezing the scar tissue with liquid nitrogen to flatten and soften it.
Moisturize Atrophic Scars
This will help to keep your skin hydrated making it appear less dry and rough around the scar. Try using a non-comedogenic moisturizer, like Vaseline® Jelly – it won't clog your pores and is appropriate for use on sensitive areas, like the face.
Put ice or a cold pack on your face or jaw for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this 3 or more times a day for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin.
Vitamins C and E : These antioxidants help the body recover and manage cell damage. Vitamin C helps improve collagen strength, while vitamin E assists in stabilizing cells.
Adding a 10-minute facial massage to your daily routine can bring many benefits. It helps improve blood flow, reduces stress, and fights aging signs. This simple habit is great for your skin and overall health.
The gua sha tool has been a part of traditional Chinese medicine and skincare for thousands of years. Crafted from jade to have a firming, lifting effect on the skin, this massaging tool helps improve skin's radiance and blood circulation while also helping to reduce puffiness.
Just add some movement to your usual skin-care routine. “Use light-to-medium pressure, a high-quality face oil for glide, and avoid working over any inflamed or irritated areas,” says Medina-Cleghorn. As for the direction of your massage, “A good rule of thumb is upward and outward,” says Crumm.
Find the spot right between your eyebrows, above the bridge of your nose. Gently massage the spot, using small circular motions. Between the thumb and index finger. The webbing between thumb and index finger contains a stress-relieving pressure point.
Gently massage from the outside of your hip (beside your hip bone) using several small strokes. Massage upward along the side of your body to your underarm. Gently stretch the skin as far as it goes naturally and release. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Drinking plenty of water and eating water-rich foods is the easiest go-to solution to keep your body hydrated and face puffiness at bay.