// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
What's really going on in lymphatic drainage beauty videos?
Abbey Alexandra performs lymphatic drainage massages a couple of times a week
If she's ever feeling bloated, Abbey Alexandra has a go-to routine, using body oil and a wooden roller to perform stomach massages.
She shares before-and-after videos on TikTok, saying she feels the process leaves her depuffed and defined: "You definitely feel a lot better after, they are relaxing."
The technique is a form of lymphatic drainage massage, adapted from a medical treatment and shared as a beauty trend. Celebrity fans include Maya Jama, who shares her clinic sessions, and actress Hailey Bieber, who told Time magazine: "I swear by them."
Whether there is a physical change - or any need for one - is debatable, but fans of the massages claim they help "flatten" and "debloat" and give a "snatched waist" and "sculpted abs". But what's actually happening to their bodies?
Before-and-after video grabs of a form of lymphatic drainage massage
Many videos on social media promoting lymphatic massage show a woman either standing sideways, facing the front or perhaps lying down with her stomach showing a slight - and very normal - curve outwards.
Then begins the methodical massage in circular motions seemingly draining fluid away. By the end, her stomach appears flatter - if a little red.
But social media body trends should always be viewed with scepticism, says Dr Ella Guest, senior research fellow and health psychologist at the Centre for Appearance Research based at the University of the West of England.
"These images might be altered using photo-editing tools or filters, people standing in particular poses, use of lighting, lots could even be AI-generated," she says.