Does a lymphatic drainage facial hurt?

No. Pressing on swelling hurts, which is why MLD does not press. It uses a light skin-twisting technique across the face that most patients find comfortable, even relaxing. If anything feels tender, tell your therapist and we adjust.

Does head, face and neck lymphatic drainage actually reduce puffiness?

For many patients, yes, often the same day. The work draws pooled fluid toward the lymph nodes that clear it, so the face can look less puffy soon after a session. A short series holds that change better than any single visit.

How long does the depuffing last?

It varies from patient to patient. A single lymphatic facial massage can leave the face looking less swollen for a few days. For lasting change with under-eye bags or recurring puffiness, relief tends to hold longer over a series of sessions than after one visit.

Can head, face and neck MLD help after a facelift or eye surgery?

Yes. Post-surgical swelling in the face and neck is one of the main reasons patients book face lymphatic drainage. We time the work to your recovery and coordinate with your surgeon's guidance. Always clear any post-op massage with your surgeon first.

Is this the same as a regular facial?

No. A regular facial works the surface of the skin. A lymphatic drainage facial moves fluid along your lymphatic pathways with far lighter pressure. At National Lymphatic Centers, it is delivered by therapists trained in manual lymphatic drainage, not general estheticians.

Can it help with under-eye bags?

Often, yes. Under-eye lymphatic drainage uses very light, precise movements to draw fluid away from the delicate area around the eyes. Results vary, and puffiness that returns responds best to a short series. Your therapist assesses the area before any work begins.

Who should not have head, face and neck lymphatic drainage?

Patients with AFib, COPD, emphysema, blood clots, or an active infection should not have this work with us. Those are medical conditions that are outside our scope of care. Every session at our Hinsdale, Downers Grove, and Joliet clinics starts with a health review, so we can flag anything before we begin.

How long is a head, face and neck drainage session?

Session lengths vary by what your plan calls for. Your first visit includes a health review and a drainage assessment before any hands-on work, so plan a little extra time for it. Current session options and prices are on our pricing page.

Do I need a prescription?

Most patients do not need a prescription for a lymphatic drainage facial. If you are recovering from surgery, we ask you to clear massage with your surgeon first. If you are in cancer treatment, we coordinate timing with your care team before booking.

The Vogel Method · Since 1991

Head, Face & Neck Lymphatic Drainage

Puffiness that lingers. Under-eye bags that will not settle. Swelling after surgery to the face that seems to sit for weeks. Head, face and neck lymphatic drainage is light, clinical work that helps that fluid move. Delivered by therapists trained in manual lymphatic drainage across three clinics in Chicago's western suburbs.

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4.8 · 1,000+ reviews across Google, Yelp & More

35 years of clinical practiceFounder Sharon M. Vogel, LMT · CLT · CDT3 Illinois locationsPhysician-referred · BBB A+

What Brings You In

Concerns Head, Face & Neck Lymphatic Drainage Treats

Swelling after a facelift, neck lift, or eye surgery (blepharoplasty) that can slow how quickly you look like yourself again. Gentle head, face and neck drainage timed to your recovery helps that fluid move, and we coordinate with your surgeon's guidance.

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Less puffiness

Pooled fluid drawn out of the face, so it looks less puffy, often the same day

Lighter under-eyes

Careful, precise work draws fluid away from the delicate under-eye area

Calmer recovery

Swelling after a facelift, neck lift, or eye surgery moved along as you heal

A calm session

A light, skin-level technique most patients find relaxing, many nearly asleep

The NLC Experience

Why patients choose NLC.

Founder Sharon M. Vogel has spent more than three decades devoted to lymphatic drainage. A Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist and Board-Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (LMT, CLT, BCTMB), she developed the Vogel Method and founded National Lymphatic Centers in 1991. Today her team of certified therapists carries that same standard across three clinics in Chicago's western suburbs: Hinsdale, Downers Grove and Joliet.

Honest Scope

When head, face and neck drainage isn't the right first call

Contraindications: we refer you on

Some conditions are outside our scope, and we will refer you.

• We do not perform head, face and neck drainage on AFib, COPD, emphysema, blood clots, or active infection
• These are outside our scope of care
• Some belong in a hospital setting
• This is appropriate scope of practice, not a hedge

We screen at every visit

Every session opens with a health review before we begin.

• Each visit at our Hinsdale, Downers Grove, and Joliet clinics starts with a health review
• If you are recovering from surgery, clear massage with your surgeon first
• In cancer treatment, we coordinate timing with your care team before booking

Severe or acute cases belong in a hospital

Severe or acute cases may need a hospital instead.

• Managing diagnosed lymphedema is core to what we do
• A severe or acute case can need a hospital lymphedema clinic with emergency care on site
• We guide you there rather than book you blindly

Head, Face & Neck Lymphatic Drainage Process

What a head, face and neck drainage session looks like.

Every session follows your anatomy and your condition, never a fixed routine. The room is quiet, the pressure is light, and nothing happens without your say so.

Step 01 · Assess

Review and assessment before anyone touches your skin.

Your therapist looks at how your face is holding fluid and sets the plan for that session. Every plan starts with an assessment, because everyone is different.

Details+

• Health history, prior surgeries, current conditions, medications
• A look at how the face is holding fluid
• Candidacy screen against the contraindications list
• The plan for the session, explained before it begins

Reserve your consultation

Review and assessment before anyone touches your skin.

From the Vogel Method

The work, explained by Sharon

The full team.

Hover to read each name. Certified care across all three Illinois clinics, every session to the Vogel Method standard.

Sharon M. Vogel

LMT · CLT · CDT · BCTMB · CVMLD™

All three clinics

Abdul Alagha

LMT · CLT · LANA

Downers Grove

Ludmila Lynch

LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT

Joliet

Stephanie Kos

LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT · LET

Hinsdale

Hana Echevarria

LMT · OMT · CDT

Downers Grove