Does Dry Brushing Work?

Dry Brushing for Lymphatic System

by Kathleen Lisson, CMT, CLT

Dry brushing is the ritual of brushing the skin on the body with a specific type of brush in order to improve the skin and lymphatic system. Does it work and what are some tips to have the best results?

I first encountered dry brushing in massage school. We were told to buy dry brushes and practice dry brushing daily for a week. I saw improvement in the softness of my skin. Now that I have advanced training in manual lymphatic drainage, I am interested in the benefits of dry brushing for both the skin and lymph drainage. 

What is the science behind dry brushing? 

The Cleveland Clinic recommends dry brushing to promote lymph flow and drainage

Read more here: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/01/the-truth-about-dry-brushing-and-what-it-does-for-you/

The New York Times reports Dr. Tina S. Alster, a clinical professor of dermatology at Georgetown University Medical Center finds that dry brushing helps the lymphatic system "work better."

Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/fashion/16Skin.html 

 The University of Maryland Medical Center includes dry brushing on it's extensive list of ways to reduce fluid retention. Read more here: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/edema

Top 5 Tips on how to dry brush:

• Make sure your dry brush has never been used (gotten wet) in the shower or bath. Keep a separate one just for brushing. 

• Brush in strokes that follow the pathway of the lymphatic syetem. A good chart is here: http://blog.thetyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dry-brush.png

• Dry brush before shower or bed, when skin is dry.

• Don't brush too much! Stop when skin becomes sensitive or turns red. 

• Moisturize after you dry brush (after you shower).

Do you dry brush? Tell me about your experience in the comments below.