What Is a Lymphatic Drainage Massage? The Treatment Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa & More Celebs Get Before the Met Gala

Yahoo

05-05-2025

In the hours before the 2025 Met Gala, celebrity lymphatic drainage specialist Flavia Lanini was at work behind the scenes, sculpting some of Hollywood's most photographed faces and physiques. Known for her signature technique and high-profile clientele, Lanini helps prepare stars including Kim Kardashian, Lizzo and Dua Lipa for fashion's biggest night. Her massages—designed to de-puff, contour and energize the body—have become a key step in red carpet prep, offering both immediate definition and long-term skin and wellness benefits.
With red carpet expectations higher than ever, lymphatic drainage massage has surged in popularity as a pre-event ritual. But outside of the celebrity spotlight, the treatment has also become a growing trend in spas across the United States, often appearing on menus without a clear explanation of how it works—or whether it delivers on its health promises.
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TikTok and other platforms are filled with testimonials claiming that lymphatic drainage massage can reduce inflammation, remove toxins and improve overall wellness. But what does the science actually say?
There is a generally-accepted way to do a lymphatic drainage massage, so this isn't a made-up thing. However, the promises attached to it are pretty major, making it natural to have some healthy skepticism about the whole thing. Here's what physical therapists and a toxicologist want you to know about lymphatic drainage massages, as well as who might benefit from it.
At its core, a lymphatic drainage massage focuses on the lymphatic, or lymphoid, system. This is a network of organs, including lymph nodes, lymphatic tissue and lymph vessels, that create and move a clear to white fluid called lymph from tissue to the bloodstream, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Your lymphatic system is a huge part of your immune system, working to combat bacteria and viruses. Included in your lymph system are lymph nodes. These are soft, small, round- or bean-shaped structures located in clusters around your body, including your neck, armpit, groin and inside the center of your chest and abdomen.
These nodes store immune cells to help your body fight infections, but they also filter lymph fluid and remove foreign material like bacteria and cancer cells, explains Ken Frey, physical therapist and director of the Institute of Physical Therapy in New York City. This makes the lymphatic system really important to your overall health.
'The lymphatic system carries blood proteins, excess interstitial fluid, immune cells, fats and waste. The waste products consist of cellular debris,' says Brittany Knauss, a physical therapist at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. 'The cellular waste products are filtered through the lymphatic system and eventually drain into the circulatory system. Any excess waste products, including foreign materials or toxins that the body doesn't want, are eventually excreted through the kidneys.'
A lymphatic drainage massage is a specialized massage that's designed to stimulate your lymph nodes and encourage them to drain fluid that may have built up, according to Knauss. The idea behind this is to help the lymph system work a little better, she says.
In theory, this could help improve your overall health.
'A lymphatic drainage massage is a gentle, hands-on technique,' Frey says. It's performed all over the body, targeting the lymph nodes and encouraging them to promote better drainage.
'The massage technique is performed in a specific sequence to improve drainage of the lymphatic system,' Knauss says. 'The massage is so gentle that if you see your skin moving, that would be enough to stimulate the superficial lymphatics.' (Lymphatics are vessels that move lymph around the body.)
Lymphatic drainage massage can be performed on different areas of the body, including arms, legs and trunk, Knauss says.
'The lymphatics drain centrally, so the massage technique typically starts with your abdominal region,' she explains. 'The sequence would be different depending on what region of your body you are attempting to drain.'
But you can also use a lymphatic drainage massage to target specific problems, Frey says.
'Some people may have lymphatic drainage massage around the breast because there's potentially an issue there, the face, or around the gut due to a digestive issue,' he says.
It's important to point out that there's limited scientific data to support lymphatic drainage massages. However, there is a little.
One analysis of studies on lymphatic drainage massage found that the procedure can help with swelling and recovery from musculoskeletal injuries, reducing pain and improving range of motion in patients. Another scientific analysis of data on breast cancer patients found that lymphatic drainage massage helped to reduce swelling that the participants experienced around their breasts.
But data beyond that is quite limited, especially when it comes to things like 'toxins' and bodily inflammation.
In general, your body does a good job of transporting toxins (i.e., substances that may be harmful to your health) to your kidneys where they're broken down and excreted from your body, says Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. That can make it tricky to say for sure that a lymphatic drainage massage is doing the same thing.
But there may be more to lymphatic drainage massages and lowered bodily inflammation, Knauss says.
'When the lymphatic system isn't working efficiently, fluid can build up and contribute to inflammation, swelling and discomfort,' she says. 'Manual lymphatic drainage can help reduce certain types of inflammation by promoting better lymph flow and reducing fluid accumulation.'
Basically, it can be helpful for some swelling and other types of inflammation. But the jury is still out when it comes to other potential perks.
Ultimately, experts say there's no harm in having a lymphatic drainage massage and there may even be some benefits.
'The better you can help the lymphatic system work and circulate, the healthier you will be,' Frey says. Within reason, of course.