Facial massage with a roller can increase the blood flow of the skin for more than ten minutes after the massage. It may also improve vasodilation — the widening of blood vessels — over the long term, according to a study by researchers in Japan. Beauty experts love them, and millions of us buy them, but what do scientists think of facial massage rollers? Few studies to date have examined the effects of using facial massagers. To fill this gap, researchers conducted short- and long-term experiments involving healthy male and female volunteers to investigate the effects of using a massage roller on facial skin and blood flow.
In the short-term experiment, even a five-minute massage can significantly increase blood flow from the facial skin to the massaged cheek, with a relative change of up to about 25%. Visualization of the change in blood flow was achieved using a non-invasive technique called laser speckle flowgraphy.
A surprising result was the duration of the immediate effect after the massage of five minutes. “The increase in skin blood flow after applying the massage roller lasted much longer than we expected,” the researchers say. “Short-term mechanical stimulation by a facial massage roller increased skin blood flow for more than ten minutes, exclusively in the massaged cheek.”
In the long-term experiment, the researchers examined the effects of daily massage on the right cheek over a five-week period. They also examined the reactivity of facial blood vessels to a heat stimulus, using a heating probe set at 40°C to test for changes in the vascular dilatation response.
Findings from the long-term study suggested that using a roller improved blood flow response, or the so-called vasodilator response, to heat stimulation. One explanation for this may be that endothelial cells in the massaged area produce more nitric oxide, which is known to be a potent vasodilator.
