What lymphatic drainage massage actually does for your body

National Geographic

a day ago

'Lymphfluencers' claim this type of massage can filter out toxins, help you lose weight, and boost your immune system. Here's what science says. Lymphatic drainage massages have become a popular treatment for those looking to slim their face, but experts say the real benefits of lymphatic treatments are often misunderstood. Photograph By Michelle Aleksa/Shutterstock
From dry brushes to targeted massages, lymphatic drainage is prolific across social media. A single influencer's video can accumulate over a million views with promises that massage techniques will eliminate waste or boost weight loss.
But lymphatic medicine is nothing new: Hippocrates observed and described lymph nodes in the fourth century B.C. The first known use of the term 'lymphatics' was in the 1600s in Denmark and Sweden, and medical scholars began to map out the lymphatic system soon after.
One of the first modern lymphatic drainage treatments was created in the 1930s by Danish doctor Emil Vodder and his wife Estrid. They observed that massaging certain spots on the surface of the body could make the lymph nodes more responsive and work more efficiently to reduce swelling. The method was introduced in North America in the 1970s, explains Manhattan based lymphatic therapist Lizabeth Gottsegen.
But despite its popularity among massage therapists, lymphatic medicine was understudied as other fields of medicine advanced, according to Stanley Rockson, lymphatic and medical researcher at Stanford University and co-founder of the Lymphatic and Education Research Network.
His 2004 study found that on average, North American medical students studying medicine at this time received about 30 minutes of education on lymphatics throughout the four-year curriculum. But that indifference has since changed dramatically, both in and out of medical settings, and massage is frequently used to help ease symptoms associated with cancer treatments and genetic disorders.
'In the last decade, the science around lymphatics has really exploded,' says Rockson. He credits that to better imaging technology, advances in surgical techniques, and new discoveries about lymphatics at the molecular level.
Internet attention has also exploded in the last several years: Google searches of 'lymphatic drainage' in the U.S. jumped between 2020 and 2025, dramatically spiking after 2023. The Instagram hashtag #lymphaticdrainage currently has over one million posts and spun off a category of influencers Gottsegen calls 'lymphfluencers.'
Like many wellness videos on social media, they promise aesthetic changes to sculpt, slim, and smooth nearly every part of the body, but experts say lymphatic drainage will do little to substantially change a healthy body. This 1813 illustration shows a man's lymphatic system. While the lymphatic system is not a new discovery, modern imaging technology has led to an explosion in scientists' understanding of this bodily function. Print By Kirkwood & Sons, via Wellcome Collection What is the lymphatic system anyway?
The lymphatic system is an interconnected network of blood vessels and organs that maintains the body's balance of lymph, a fluid mix of white blood cells, water, proteins, and cellular waste.
The tiny vessels that make up the lymphatic system send all this lymph to pass through lymph nodes: kidney bean-shaped organs clustered throughout the body. There, they filter waste and deploy immune cells to attack infections or cancerous cells.
Radiation treatment or surgery can damage lymph nodes, causing lymph accumulation in the body's tissues and resulting in swollen limbs. About one in 100,000 people are genetically predisposed to this lymph accumulation, a condition known as lymphedema.
Lymphatic drainage treatments like massage boost the lymphatic system's ability to move lymph from tissues back into circulation throughout the body, according to Rockson.
If the lymphatic system loses some of the nodes powering this movement—for example if a breast cancer patient has had part of their armpit lymph node removed—the system might be unable to pump out extra fluids from that nearby arm, resulting in arm swelling.
Gottsegen often works with cancer patients, providing massage treatment that helps move stagnant lymph toward working lymph nodes. Lymphatic drainage massage is different from common spa treatments like deep tissue massage, because the lymphatic system lies right below the skin, says Gottsegen, so the therapist gently stretches the skin directionally and rhythmically to stimulate lymph fluid movement.
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Gottsegen describes stimulating areas of the body as opening extra roads to redirect traffic, moving the lymph fluid to other nodes to be processed. Lymph goes mainstream
The social media posts now popularizing lymphatic drainage target a larger audience than those with lymph node disorders, often while espousing the benefits of a particular product.
Gua sha, which uses a smooth stone to scrape the skin and promote circulation, originated as a centuries-old Chinese skincare tradition and has now been taken up by trendy skincare brands. Gua sha stone face rollers, like jade rollers, are a type of lymphatic drainage for the face, massaging the face and neck to reduce swelling and promote immune defense. Dry brushes for skin are also sold as a way of stimulating lymphatic circulation in the legs.
But are any of these necessary?
Those suffering from lymphedema swelling are the only ones who really need lymphatic drainage, says Erich Brenner, anatomist at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria.
For those without this condition, your lymph nodes should be functioning just fine, says Brenner.
Having lymphatic drainage if you don't suffer from lymphedema isn't harmful, adds Rockson, but it won't necessarily have the long-term detoxifying effects that some influencers promise.
'All you're doing with lymphatic drainage is stimulating that system to be more active,' says Rockson. 'If the system is already working at the appropriate capacity… then lymphatic massage isn't really going to visibly do anything.'
And whatever effect the massage has will be temporary: whether you're healthy or sick, any response to lymphatic massage is going to last four to six hours at most, says Rockson.
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As far as influencers' claims that lymphatic drainage can help you lose weight, Rockson says it has nothing to do with weight loss. Cellulite is fluid retention within fat, so lymphatic drainage can temporarily smooth out cellulite, but it won't affect body weight as measured on a scale.
The claims that lymphatic massage can get rid of toxins are unfounded as well, adds Rockson.
'There's a notion that somehow because the lymphatic system is a drainage system, that it is responsible for getting rid of toxins,' he explains. 'That's not really true. It really is a fluid movement system.'
When operating properly this fluid movement system flushes out cellular waste, which contains normal byproducts of the body's constant regeneration, rather than harmful toxins.
If you plan to get a lymphatic drainage massage, Brenner recommends ensuring the massage provider is qualified and adequately trained.
Gottsegen also mentions none of the tools sold for lymph drainage, like gua sha rollers and dry brushes, are necessary for moving lymph through the body. 'I'd be wary of any devices, and I'd be much more inclined to learn about the lymphatic system yourself,' Gottsegen says. 'You don't need anything; you just need your own hands.'
For those who want to ensure their lymphatic system is healthy, Rockson says to adopt the same lifestyle doctors recommend for living wealthy: eating a healthy diet with lots of whole foods and staying active.