Is Dry Brushing Good For Your Lymphatic System?

If you have a serious lymphatic issue definitely not. Here's the breakdown. Dry bushing is great for your circulatory system (and certainly great for removing dead skin cells so your body can absorb your lotions and creams better). But the lymphatic system is incredibly sensitive to deep touch and when the stimulus is too deep you can actually IMPEDE lymph flow.

Now! What if you don't have lymphatic insufficiency) Well, because the lymphatic system doesn't have a pump, the way the circulatory system does (the heart), your lymph relies on your circulatory system to give it a nudge and keep it flowing. This is why exercise can indirectly help to move your lymph along. This means you can be pro-active in not developing lymphatic issues.

But if you do, please avoid dry brushing if done deeply. Other factors that can impair your lymphatic system would be

~ deep tissue massage (I have seen a lb weight gain in clients)

~ saunas and high heat (even too long in the sun)

~ sleeping for too long (over 8.5 hours)

~ clothing that is too tight (you will see indentations)

Dry Brushing Basics

• Use light pressure: Your strokes should be no firmer than the weight of a coin on your skin. Think of it as gently stretching the skin to move fluid, not scrubbing deeply like exfoliation. 

• Brush toward the nodes: Always direct your soft, sweeping strokes toward the nearest major lymph node clusters (e.g., up the legs toward the groin, or up the arms and down the chest toward the armpits and collarbones). 

• Avoid irritated skin: Never brush over open cuts, rashes, infections, or swollen, painful areas. 

• Prep the system: "Opening" your main drains (collarbones and abdomen) with deep belly breathing and light strokes before brushing is the best way to ensure the fluid has a clear path to drain.

  
  

PS I am an MLD practitioner, lymphatic massage should be LIGHT