You can do a simplified lymphatic drainage sequence at home in about ten minutes. The three rules that make it work are: clear the neck and collarbone first, use pressure light enough only to move the skin over the tissue beneath, and always work towards the nearest lymph nodes. Self-drainage supports professional treatment and is taught routinely by NHS lymphoedema services, but it does not replace specialist care for a diagnosed condition.

Key takeaways

Always clear the neck first
The lymphatic ducts empty at the collarbone. Opening the exit before moving fluid towards it is the single most important step and the one most often skipped.
The pressure is lighter than you think
Enough to move skin over the tissue underneath, no more. If your skin reddens or you feel muscle, you are pressing too hard.
Work proximal to distal, then drain distal to proximal
Open the route closest to the nodes first, then move fluid from the far end towards it.
Repeat each stroke five to seven times
Lymphatic vessels contract six to ten times a minute, so repetition matches their natural rhythm.
Ten minutes daily beats an hour weekly
Consistency matters far more than duration with self-drainage.
Expect to need the loo
Increased urination afterwards is normal and a sign the fluid is being processed.
Stop and seek advice for anything sudden or one-sided
Sudden swelling in one limb, especially with heat, redness or pain, needs urgent medical assessment rather than massage.

Before you start

Self-drainage is genuinely useful and genuinely limited. It is worth doing if you get puffy ankles, feel bloated, retain fluid in hot weather or during your cycle, want to support professional treatment between sessions, or have been taught a routine by a lymphoedema service.

It is not appropriate as a substitute for specialist care if you have diagnosed lymphoedema, and it should not be attempted at all in the situations listed at the end of this guide. If you are unsure whether your swelling is ordinary fluid retention or something that needs investigating, ask your GP first.

You need nothing except clean hands, a comfortable place to lie or sit, and optionally a little body oil for the face. Understanding why the sequence runs the way it does helps enormously, and that is covered in how your lymphatic system works.

The three rules

  1. Clear the exit first. All lymph drains into veins beneath your collarbones. Start there every time, then work the node cluster nearest your target area, then the area itself.
  2. Barely any pressure. You are stretching skin, not massaging muscle. Think of moving the skin over what is underneath rather than pressing into it.
  3. Always towards the nodes. Legs drain to the groin, arms to the armpit, face and head to the neck. Never work away from them.

Each stroke is slow, repeated five to seven times, with a gentle release between repetitions. Nothing should hurt, redden the skin or leave a mark.

Step 1: clear the neck and collarbone

Do this every time, before anything else. Sit or lie comfortably.

  • Place flat fingers in the soft hollows just above your collarbones. Press gently downwards and inwards, then release. Ten times.
  • Place flat hands on the sides of your neck below your ears. Stretch the skin gently downwards towards your shoulders and release. Ten times.
  • Place fingers just below your jawline and stroke downwards towards the neck. Ten times.

Then take five slow, deep breaths into your abdomen. The pressure changes in your chest as you breathe actively pull lymph up the thoracic duct, so this is a functional part of the routine rather than relaxation.

Step 2: legs and ankles

Lie down with your legs supported if you can. Leg lymph drains to nodes in the groin.

  1. Open the groin nodes. Place a flat hand at the crease at the top of your thigh. Press gently upwards and inwards, release. Ten times each side.
  2. Upper thigh. Stroke from mid-thigh up towards the groin. Seven times.
  3. Lower thigh. From just above the knee up to mid-thigh. Seven times.
  4. Behind the knee. Gentle pumping in the hollow behind the knee, where a node cluster sits. Ten times.
  5. Calf. From the ankle up towards the knee, both hands wrapped lightly around the calf. Seven times.
  6. Ankle and foot. From the toes up over the ankle. Seven times.
  7. Sweep up. Long, light strokes from foot to groin. Five times.

Finishing with your legs elevated for five to ten minutes materially improves the result. A dedicated routine is in lymphatic drainage massage for legs.

Step 3: abdomen

Useful for bloating, and best done on an empty or near-empty stomach, lying down with knees bent.

  • Place both hands flat on your abdomen. Press very gently in and up, then release, moving in a clockwise direction around the navel. Two full circuits.
  • Place hands either side of the navel and gently stretch the skin towards the centre and up. Ten times.
  • Finish with five deep diaphragmatic breaths, letting the abdomen rise fully.

Skip abdominal work entirely if you are pregnant, have an IUD fitted recently, have had recent abdominal surgery, or have inflammatory bowel disease in an active flare. More on this in lymphatic drainage for bloating.

Step 4: arms

Arm lymph drains to the armpit. If you have had lymph nodes removed from one armpit, do not drain that arm towards it: follow the routine your lymphoedema service gave you instead.

  1. Cup a flat hand into the opposite armpit and pump gently upwards. Ten times.
  2. Stroke from the elbow up to the armpit. Seven times.
  3. Gentle pumping in the crease at the inside of the elbow. Ten times.
  4. Stroke from the wrist up to the elbow. Seven times.
  5. Finish with long sweeps from hand to armpit. Five times.

Step 5: face

Two to three minutes, with a facial oil or serum for slip. Always after clearing the neck.

  • From the centre of the chin along the jawline to the ear, then down the neck. Five times.
  • From beside the nose out across the cheek to the ear, then down. Five times.
  • Under the eyes with your ring finger only, from the inner corner outwards along the bone. Five times, never dragging the lid.
  • Forehead, from the centre out to the temples, then down past the ears. Five times.
  • Finish by stroking down both sides of the neck to the collarbone. Ten times.

A fuller version, including tools, is in the lymphatic drainage facial guide.

Common mistakes

  • Pressing too hard. The most frequent error by a distance. Firm pressure closes the vessels you are trying to open.
  • Skipping the neck. Moving fluid towards a route you have not opened achieves little.
  • Working in the wrong direction. Always towards the nodes, never away.
  • Rushing. Fast strokes do not match the vessels' contraction rhythm.
  • Using lots of oil on the body. You need grip to stretch skin, not slip to glide over it.
  • Expecting fat loss. This moves fluid. Nothing else.
  • Drinking litres afterwards to flush toxins. Normal hydration is fine; nothing is being detoxed.

When not to do it yourself

Stop, and speak to a GP, if any of the following apply:

  • Sudden swelling in one leg or arm, particularly with warmth, redness or pain, which may indicate DVT[3]
  • Active infection, cellulitis or a fever
  • Untreated heart failure or kidney failure
  • Untreated or active cancer, without oncology approval
  • An undiagnosed lump or a persistently swollen lymph node
  • Swelling that appears alongside breathlessness or chest pain, which needs emergency assessment

If you have diagnosed lymphoedema, ask your GP for referral to an NHS lymphoedema service, which will teach you a routine tailored to which nodes are affected[1]. For professional treatment between sessions, look for a therapist with recognised MLD training[2]: browse lymphatic drainage in Bristol or the full directory.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. Simplified self-drainage sequences are taught routinely by NHS lymphoedema services and are safe for most people. Use very light pressure, clear the neck and collarbone first, and always work towards the nearest lymph nodes. It supports professional treatment rather than replacing it if you have a diagnosed condition.
Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty for a full sequence, or two to three minutes for a single area such as the face. Doing it daily is far more effective than doing it for an hour once a week, because the effect of each session is short-lived.
Only enough to stretch the skin over the tissue underneath, which is roughly the pressure you would use to stroke a cat. Lymphatic capillaries sit in the skin, so firm pressure compresses and closes them. If your skin is reddening or you can feel muscle, you are pressing far too hard.
Neck and collarbone first, then the node cluster nearest the area you are treating, then the limb or region itself working from the top downwards, and finally sweep everything back towards the nodes. For legs that means neck, then groin, then thigh, then calf, then foot, then back up.
Morning suits facial drainage best, since fluid accumulates overnight while you are lying flat. Legs and abdomen are often better in the evening when fluid has pooled through the day. Either works, and consistency matters more than timing.
Not really. Dry brushing exfoliates and stimulates the skin, and if done lightly towards the heart it may give some superficial lymphatic stimulation. It is not the same as the sustained, directional, repeated technique of manual lymphatic drainage, and vigorous brushing that reddens the skin is counterproductive.

Further reading

References

  1. NHS. Lymphoedema: treatment. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lymphoedema/treatment/ (accessed 30 August 2026).
  2. MLD UK. Finding an MLD therapist. https://www.mlduk.org.uk/ (accessed 30 August 2026).
  3. NHS. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/deep-vein-thrombosis-dvt/ (accessed 30 August 2026).

This article is researched by the Massages Bristol editorial team using NHS guidance, professional body standards and published research, and is checked against the practice of the qualified therapists listed in our Bristol directory. It is reviewed and updated when guidance or standard practice changes. It is general information, not medical advice: speak to your GP if you have a health condition that may affect treatment.