Are You Suffering From Skin Stagnation?

This is a term I’ve found myself using a lot in clinic recently as I seem to see it a lot. A stagnated face so to speak. Ok so no, this isn't a medical term (that I'm aware of) and it's not in a text book, but it's something I've noticed quite a bit recently. I'm not sure if it's the weather being a bit colder and we're just not moving as much, but I've been working extra hard in the clinic the last few weeks getting everything moving,

Skin that looks a bit grey and dull, slightly puffy, a little lifeless. It's almost like the face looks a little heavy? Like everything has slowed down and settled where it shouldn’t. Makeup isn't sitting right, skincare feels like it’s doing nothing, and no matter how much water you drink or how “good” you’re being, your face still looks tired and dull.

Sometimes clients say that they feel like they have "aged ten years overnight". I hear this so much in the clinic and of course it isn't true.

Stagnation in the face is usually a combination of things. Poor circulation, sluggish lymphatic drainage, facial fillers holding onto water retention (this is a big one!), stress, lack of sleep, inflammation, hormones, sitting at a desk all day, clenching the jaw, shallow breathing, the list goes on and on. Blood flow slows, lymph doesn’t drain efficiently, and the skin starts to look flat and congested rather than clear and bright. Maybe this is why it gives a heavy looking vibe.

In clinic, when I see this kind of skin, I almost always reach for a peel or a good exfoliation followed by massage. Lots and lots of massage and movement. Not anything aggressive or stripping, but enough exfoliation to remove the dead weight from the surface of the skin and wake things up a little. Once that top layer is cleared, it's like the massage becomes far more effective. Blood flow increases, lymphatic drainage improves and the skin starts to look alive again. Clients will even say that their skin feels more alive, awake and lighter afterwards.

And I'm kind of over the whole 'sculpting and contouring' thing as we are not surgeons and so everything is absolutely temporary. To me it's so much more about moving, shifting and draining - which in turn gives more of a sculpted look overall.

If you want to create your own at home version of this, using an at-home peel or peel pads once or twice a week can help prevent that build-up of dull, dead skin that contributes to a stagnant look. It helps to clear the path so to speak, so your skin can actually respond to what you’re putting on it. I'm not talking about over-exfoliating and making the skin as smooth as possible, it’s more about creating movement and rejuvenating the skin cells.

If you can then follow that with facial massage, it will make a huge difference. Tools like my gua sha or a globe massage roller help stimulate blood flow, encourage lymphatic drainage and release tension held in the face (especially around the neck and jaw). If you use them regularly, they can completely change how your skin looks and feels. They can help to reduce puffiness which leads to features looking more defined and the skin starts to glow again finally.

The easiest way to massage the face is by focusing on the centre of the face and moving everything upwards and outwards. Then once you've moved everything out to the sides, you then drain downwards. The most important part here is that you do it very gently. A heavy pressure will not drain puffiness, you need light movements as the lymphatic system lies just under the surface of the skin.

As a side note however, if you do have facial fillers I would not recommend massaging over them as you don't want to cause them to migrate. Facial fillers can often cause this heavy look though unfortunately as they are hydrophilic and can hold onto water in the face.

I often say to clients that if your face feels heavy, stagnant or dull it probably needs a circulation boost and not necessarily a new serum.

This is especially true if you’re stressed, not sleeping brilliantly, or spending a lot of time sitting still. Remember the face mirrors what’s going on internally and when everything slows down inside the body, it shows outside.

If you can relate to this and you’re not sure where to start, or you feel like your skincare routine has stopped working for you, you’re very welcome to book an online consultation with me here. We can look at your skin properly and work out whether stagnation is part of what's going on and how you can incorporate some new tricks to get your skin where you want it to be.

Thank you so much for reading,

Emmaline