Can Massaging Muscles With This Weird Tool Actually Do Anything?
Photo: Net-a-porter
How many times have you read that there’s no such thing as anti-cellulite cream? No magical serum that will take 20 years off your life in 24 hours? And yet, the mere idea’s enough to make women open their wallets in pursuit of perfectly smooth skin. Now a strange-looking massage tool is making big claims about its ability to improve your epidermis, but can it deliver?
Related: The Benefits of Mixing Your Own Face Mask
The Skinesis Bodylift ($45) comes from a reliable source—London’s in-demand facialist, Sarah Chapman, has worked with women like Naomi Watts, Uma Thurman, Sienna Miller, and Queen Rania of Jordan. Basically when she talks, we listen. The device promises to smooth, sculpt, and tone your skin while encouraging circulation, and draining toxins through the lymphatic system. Can this little tool do all that?
“It looks like a medieval torture device,” says NYC dermatologist Dr. Sejal Shah. “It may work in terms of massage and things like improving circulation, but lymphatic drainage requires a very specific technique and direction in which you’re supposed to roll, so it should be administered by a professional.”
Shah thinks the smooth skin claim is a stretch, too. “Sometimes after a massage you’ll see a temporary improvement in cellulite,” she says. “You know how anti-cellulite creams often say to massage vigorously? Many derms say the true benefits come from that rubbing motion, not the cream. “Instead of buying this medieval contraption you could save your money and get the benefits going to a well-trained masseuse.”
Related: Thai Me Up: Where Yoga Meets Massage
For other methods to smooth your skin, Shah says to look for exfoliating products containing glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid. You may also want to look for lotions with caffeine, since it causes your blood vessels to constrict, getting rid of that bloated feeling. For dark puffy undereye bags, Shah suggests placing cooled tea bags on your lids. You can even try a very light circular massage on your lower lid using your ring finger to help usher fluids out. “With the proper technique using your hands are better than any device,” says Shah. Though for the record, this tool feels pretty wonderful on the skin.
