LED masks, microcurrent machines, lightsaber-style lasers . . . There’s seemingly no end to the gadgets that promise to lift, brighten and resurface complexions. But a yearning for human connection and touch means facial treatments that employ the healing power of expert hands are on the up. Indeed, recent psychological studies have coined the phenomenon “skin hunger”, a term used to describe a prolonged lack of human touch.
“In times of socioeconomic uncertainty we innately reach for age-old practices that embody a sturdy tree in a storm,” says the former beauty editor Joanna Ellner, now the brains behind the skincare brand Reome. Her clients go for mind and body benefits, of course, but also to experience the “nurture of touch”. While human hands won’t be able to remove a patch of sun damage or clear up acne, what they can do is make you feel inexplicably good.
“Human touch triggers feelgood hormones such as oxytocin,” says the facialist Daiva Kamysova, “which reduces stress and boosts mood.” And, unlike machines, therapists can tune in to how you’re feeling, adjust pressure or avoid painful areas. Here are five hands-on facials for the digital detox you didn’t know your skin needed.
1. Lymphatic facial massage
In the past year Google searches for lymphatic drainage have risen by 20 per cent. The lymphatic system is the body’s natural waste-disposal system, responsible for removing toxins and shifting fluid build-up — and, according to the experts, you can spot a sluggish one through puffiness, dark circles and a dull complexion. Often the lymph system needs stimulation to get moving and grooving, and this is where facial massage comes in.
“There are specific massage techniques to activate the lymphatic flow,” says Dr Michael Detmar, who founded Iräye, the first skincare brand to support the lymphatic system. Flavia Morellato, one of the leading masseuses in the field, swears by a specific combination of rhythmic strokes and gentle pressure to “reduce puffiness, detoxify skin and bring down swollen areas”. This is something that so far machines have been unable to mimic. “Lymphatic drainage needs a human touch for finesse and precision,” Morellato says. “Your therapist will sense where you’re holding tension or pain and adapt accordingly.”
Lymphatic facial massage can be booked nationwide — try Treatwell. Facials, from £65, Soma Rituals, Edinburgh, and from £150, Flavia Morellato, Harvey Nichols, London SW1
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2. Ayurvedic facial
If the words “assessing your dosha” have you running for the nearest red-light therapy mask, bear with us. Ayurveda — the 3,000-year-old healing system that translates as “knowledge of life” — is (re)emerging as a salve for all kinds of modern malaises. The ancient practice revolves around balancing your mind, body and skin to bring harmony and health. Stress is the enemy of calm and it turns out we have stress busters at the tips of our fingers. Quite literally. “Pressure on the skin stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system,” Ellner says. “The tenderness of touch helps bring us down from fight or flight into rest and digest mode.”
That’s why Samaya, an ayurvedic skincare brand, has developed the Longevity Touch Method, a hands-only facial that aims to lower cortisol levels through the power of touch. Your doshas will be read to determine what ingredients your skin responds best to, and slow, rhythmic massage is used to apply oils made with ayurvedic herbs, including anti-inflammatory turmeric and saffron (great for reducing redness). Next, lymphatic drainage and facial cupping are used to improve blood circulation and lift lazy facial muscles, and gua sha helps with face sculpting and closing pores. Calm mind, calm skin.
Samaya Ayurvedic Longevity Touch Method, from £150, Fenwick, London W1. Marma Therapy facials, from £60, Pure Face Works, Bristol and Sidmouth
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3. Face yoga 2.0
Stretches and exercises to keep our faces toned and taut have led to #faceyoga clocking up almost 2.5 billion views on TikTok. The Duchess of Sussex and Gwyneth Paltrow are devotees, and so, apparently, is Paul McCartney, who swears by — wait for it — eye yoga. You can book sessions on Class Pass, just as you would your regular yoga class, and a dedicated app called Luvly has a choice of routines. The results are impressive — lifted features, softened lines, more symmetry — but you have to be consistent. Skip a day and you’re heading back to square one.
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Happily, then, there are facials such as the Lyma Lift that do the hard work for you. Indeed, this 90-minute, hands-on facial has serious sculpting benefits; just look at the Instagrams of Ellie Goulding, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Erin O’Connor, who are all fans. The creators claim that the Lyma Lift “fills the void between surgical lifting techniques and low-fi face yoga”. How so? The skilled therapist uses impressively fast hand-massage techniques to work deep facial muscles and increase blood flow. The result? Probably akin to 100 face yoga classes, faces are flushed (in a good way), eyebrows are lifted and cheekbones are, well, visible. Results aren’t permanent (sorry), but much like going to the gym, consistency is key.
Lyma Lift is coming to Lyma, London NW1. Sign up to the Lyma newsletter for more information, lyma.life
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4. Traditional Chinese medicine
Gadgets and gizmos are brilliant for zapping zits and lasering lines but they rarely treat anything beyond. They can’t, for example, calm a racing mind or recalibrate hormonal imbalances, both of which can have an impact on our skin. Enter traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), an ancient system of eastern health and wellness that focuses on finding the root cause of ailments rather than treating the symptoms. Acupuncture, a central pillar of TCM, involves practitioners sticking gossamer-thin needles into specific areas, often the face — along the cheeks to treat digestive imbalances or your forehead for any deficiencies in the gallbladder. In terms of face benefits, the tiny pinpricks (not painful, promise) stimulate an injury response in the skin, which “boosts microcirculation and bolsters collagen and elastin delivery to the dermis”, Ellner says.
Dullness, fatigue, puffiness, fine lines, redness and sensitive skin can all be addressed by TCM practitioners. An initial consultation (expect a tongue examination and to be asked about everything from family history to period patterns) will reveal what’s out of whack, where and why. Each treatment is then tailored to the individual. As well as acupuncture, gua sha (good for sculpting and lifting) and tui na-inspired facial massage (a pressing, kneading technique that flushes blockages and gets rid of pain) are go-tos within TCM.
TCM practitioners can be found nationwide. Cosmetic Aculift facial, £195, Marie Reynolds Clinic, Norwich. Consultation and treatment with Joanna Ellner, from £120, joannaellner.com
5. Mouth massage
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Admittedly, having a stranger’s fingers inside your mouth is on the, well, stranger end of the treatment spectrum, but buccal massage (that’s having your facial muscles massaged from the inside of your mouth) has myriad benefits. “A highly specialised facial technique, buccal massage targets the deep-seated muscles within the cheek and jaw areas,” Daiva Kamysova says. Teeth grinders and stress sufferers, rejoice — an inner facial, as it’s also known, can provide immediate relief from jaw discomfort and tight temples. There’s an added cosmetic benefit here too: tense facial muscles cause faces to sag and, according to Kamysova, releasing them gives a lifting effect.
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It’s why high-profile A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez and Kristen Bell are said to go bonkers for buccal. It’s considered a nonsurgical, albeit temporary, method for carving out cheekbones. An average session entails a trained therapist hooking their thumbs inside your cheeks while massaging with their fingers in a motion that stimulates blood circulation in order to flood the skin with “essential nutrients and oxygen that aid the production of collagen”, Kamysova says. Another plus is that it encourages lymphatic drainage to decrease puffiness. Open wide . . .
Buccal massage is available nationwide. From £80, Alto Senso, Redruth, Cornwall, and from £190, Skin Loft, London W14
