I’m lying on a treatment table, mouth wide open, while a woman in latex gloves picks at my gums. At first my brain goes into “dental work” mode and I grab the side of the bed, but within seconds I realize that the experience is quite pleasant.
I relax while the woman nimbly massages my cheeks and jaw both inside and outside my mouth.
I’m getting an intraoral (or buccal) massage with Abigail James, the facialist who has treated countless actors, pop stars, and models for over 20 years. The concept has been around for a while, but it’s having a moment: the hashtag #buccalmassage is all over TikTok, while the Duchess of Sussex and Kate Moss are among its celebrity fans.
Oral massage can help improve blood flow and elasticity of the lower face and facilitate better lymphatic drainage to help reduce swelling. Its current popularity is due, in part, to many middle-aged women seeking natural alternatives to Botox, fillers and other adjustments.
I’m trying James’s new Rejuvology facial, which he launched nationwide last year and trained around 70 practitioners across the UK, with more to follow this year. The 60-minute session (which costs between £100 and £250 with James herself at her home clinic in Surrey) is a “non-invasive, non-surgical alternative to facelifts and other facial rejuvenation treatments”.
In addition to oral massage, my treatment includes craniosacral work, gua sha (a traditional Chinese practice in which a soft jade-like stone tool is passed over the skin), cupping (a small glass “cup” is passed over the face , sucking and twisting the skin as it goes, which sounds painful but isn’t) and numerous facial massage techniques, some gentle and some firm.
It is surprisingly effective. I leave with less puffy but smoother skin (thus making lines less visible), a slightly firmer jawline, and cheekbones that look like they’ve traveled an inch north. “Facial massage will not give you the same results as Botox,” warns James. But from my point of view, it is certainly a credible alternative.
“I’ve had an increasing number of clients over 40 who are starting to see their faces age but don’t want to go down the injectable route,” says James. ‘Then there are those who tried injectables but didn’t like them. While there is an increase in the number of younger women getting adjustments, there is a slowdown when it comes to older women.’
The Duchess of Sussex, pictured with Prince Harry last month, is among her celebrity fans.
One reason, James believes, is that the more open conversation about menopause and aging today means that many women are more accepting of body changes and no longer see wrinkles as the enemy.
Sophie Perry, author of The natural face lift (£12.99, HarperCollins), teaches facial massage to therapists and began her career assisting aesthetic doctors. At age 21, a colleague of hers convinced her to get her lips filled. She was told that she would disband in 12 months; Instead, she migrated, looked terrible, and was finally taken away six years later. Her experience made her reject invasive beauty treatments both personally and professionally.
Perry’s book is subtitled. Sculpt your face at home in just five minutes a day. Actually? Will a home facial massage and facial exercises make a difference?
“You will see a result immediately as it will improve blood flow and reduce water retention,” he says. Then there’s the long-term impact: “Your muscles have memory, so doing exercises to contract them and adding a little massage will make your face look lifted and defined.” There’s more: stress is usually etched on our face, so if we incorporate a five-minute facial massage into our daily routine, it becomes a self-care ritual. Check out some of Perry’s techniques below.
The key is consistency. “There is a cumulative effect with facial massage,” says James. “It’s like going to the gym: once is nice, but you will benefit from visiting repeatedly.”
“Try it yourself, five minutes a day for two weeks,” says Perry. “Look at the difference it makes.” That’s how I do it, and that’s how it is.
3 facial massages from Sophie Perry
For the mouth and jaw
- Use a facial oil or cream and work with the same hand and side of the face (right hand to right side), using the opposite hand for light support on the chin.
- Massage in circular motions along the jaw, starting at the chin and ending at the ear, focusing the pressure on lifting up and not pulling down. Use medium pressure with your fingertips. As you release tension above your jawline, let your thumb follow slightly below it.
- Repeat up to 8 times before switching sides.
For marionette folds (folds that descend vertically from the corners of your mouth up to your chin)
- Place your fingertips on the masseter muscles (they’re on either side of your jaw, the big ones you use for chewing).
- Lift the skin slightly, pulling toward the ears and keeping it taut.
- Blow air through your mouth ten times, as if you were blowing out a candle, forming an O with your mouth each time.
- Repeat 20 times.
For between the eyebrows
- Using the length of your middle and index fingers, place them along both eyebrows, leaving a space in the middle.
- Apply very light pressure to both eyebrows and begin trying to frown, resisting with your fingers to prevent wrinkles from forming.
- Hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 20 times.
To book a Rejuvology treatment, go to abigailjames.online/clinic-finder
