Alexandra Engler is the senior beauty and lifestyle director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she’s held beauty roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.
July 31, 2025
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If I’m going to get skin care advice, I might as well get it from someone who has been dubbed “the Queen of skin,” no? The UK-based facialist and author Abigail James joined me on an episode of Clean Beauty School to discuss the benefits of facial massages, psychodermatology, and the gut-skin-stress connection.
It’s a fascinating episode, full of insights about how deeply intertwined mental health and skin health are—and most importantly, what you can do to help your skin should stress be getting the better of it.
One of my favorite parts of the discussion was around the power of touch, especially within the context of massage and facial massage. Here, some of her tips on at-home facial massage and skin care in general, but be sure to tune into the episode for more.
Facial massage increases blood flow to the skin—which can be useful for perennially stressed skin
As we discuss a lot at mindbodygreen, stress deeply affects the skin. It can worsen acne, break down collagen, and inhibit circulation.
“There’s a very well-documented, scientifically proven connection between what is going on in our minds and what is then presenting on the skin,” says James. “During times of duress, our body will actually naturally want our blood flow to go to the internal, essential organs because it’s in that stressful situation. Our skin gets left out from that nutritional flow.”
This is actually a very important survival mechanism for the body. The problem arises when the body is under chronic, prolonged stress, which is an unfortunately common occurrence in our modern environment. When the skin is regularly depleted of blood flow (and all the nutrients that come with it), it can’t rejuvenate itself as readily.
This is where facial massage can come in. “One of the physical benefits is stimulating and increasing blood flow to the skin. So we have fresh nutrients coming to that external skin. This will help achieve that glow, cell turnover, tone, and the skin is just going to look better,” says James. She’s right: Studies show that regular facial massage has been shown to increase blood flow to the face1.
Releases facial tension, which can soften the appearance of the face and skin
In addition to improving blood flow to the skin, facial massage also addresses muscle tension under the skin.
Facial muscles play a huge role in facial aging. For example, they can contribute to facial asymmetries, which tend to become more dramatic with age. Or areas where we hold tension, such as the jaw, can pull at the skin, resulting in sagging over time.
“If we can soften up and ease some of that muscle tension, we are naturally going to look softer, happier, and more approachable. If our muscles are tight, the blood and lymphatic fluid isn’t going to be able to flow through as easily,” says James. “So if our muscles are nice and soft and supple, the skin is naturally going to look brighter because all the fluids can flow more effectively.”
Think of facial massage like you might a workout
Fitness routines require consistency in order to see results—things don’t happen overnight.
“If you were going to go to the gym, you wouldn’t expect to go once a month and get a result. So when we’re working with muscles and tissue [like you do during facial massage], we need to think along those lines,” says James. “If we can get into a regular routine of something—definitely on a weekly basis but ideally every other night—you are going to get a better result.”
For more information on clean skin care routines, facial massages, and more—tune in here.
