Puffiness — the secret saboteur of youth
For a long time, I thought puffiness had absolutely nothing to do with me. That was for people who drank too much or carried a few extra pounds — definitely not my crowd.
Turns out, I was wrong. Not everyone, of course — but even Nicole Kidman deals with it, and she’s clearly neither a drinker nor out of shape. And of course, a huge number of women of all ages.
The real revelation was this: puffiness isn’t just a bit of morning swelling. It’s enlarged pores, blackheads, bulbous noses that used to be cute and fine, droopy eyelids, jowls, and so much more. All of it caused by excess fluid collecting under the skin and pressing from the inside.
And then it snowballs — the fluid stagnates, stretches the skin, turns into a cozy swamp where all kinds of things start to bloom. Breakouts, dullness, rough texture — you name it.
Yes! Large pores and all those “inevitable signs of aging” aren’t destiny, genetics, or punishment for your sins. They’re just the result of a body drainage system that’s gotten a little clogged.
After that discovery, the glossy-magazine advice to “tighten pores” with deep cleansing and multiple layers of nourishing creams started sounding like comedy.
Cleansers and creams won’t help. Obviously.
So where does it come from — if we’re not heavy drinkers and our weight’s fine?
From lymph. Or rather, from the lack of its movement. Stagnant lymph flow needs a push, and there are plenty of ways to give it one. Many lymph drainage techniques are surprisingly simple and can easily become part of your daily routine.
One of the best examples, in my opinion, is Yukuko Tanaka’s face contouring massage.
But working only on the face, unfortunately, isn’t enough — you have to get the lymph moving throughout the whole body. And when it comes to that, nothing beats movement. Ten thousand steps a day — a number WHO likes — is a solid goal. But posture matters just as much. A stiff neck or rounded shoulders will block the flow faster than you think.
Take a good look in the mirror. Maybe the reason you’ve stopped liking your reflection has nothing to do with age. Maybe it’s just puffiness.
When I finally got rid of it, my face changed like magic. Time itself seemed to take a step back. And all I did was drain.
Lymph drainage, of course, isn’t the secret of youth — but it’s definitely one of the simplest and most effective ways to bring your face (and body) back to life. Sometimes, all it takes to look fresher is to let things flow.
As for injectables — they often make puffiness worse. That, apparently, is where even Nicole Kidman went a little off course.
The original Russian version of this article was published on January 24, 2019.
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