Why TikTok's Rubber Band Hack To Depuff Your Face Is Too Good To Be True

Strange TikTok hacks are nothing new. Yet one that's been getting a lot of press is truly head-scratching — and ear scrunching: When you have facial swelling, you can reduce puffiness quickly by loosely wrapping rubber bands around your ears. Have trouble picturing how this works? If you head to TikTok, use hashtags like #depuffing and #koreanskincare and do a bit of scrolling. Inevitably, you'll find people who swear that they've uncovered the secret to morning facial bloat by just putting bands on their ears for a few minutes. 

Odd as it may sound, the hack has garnered positive attention from some medical providers. For instance, Dr. David Kim, a dermatologist whose TikTok sharing the hack has more than six million views as of mid-2024, seems to be a believer. A few Korean celebrities are as well. In fact, a 2024 feature from The Korean Herald heralded the popularity of the practice among some of the country's trendiest and most talked about stars.

That said, you probably guessed that the hack's too good to be true. But though the TikTok hack may be hype, it has origins in a proven treatment to reduce fluid buildup under the skin called lymphatic drainage massage. 

A lymphatic drainage massage aims to help your lymphatic system do its job a bit more effectively. But why focus on the lymphatic system in the first place if you're struggling with facial puffiness? 

As explained by Medical News Today, the lymphatic system transports excess liquid, called lymph, through and out of the body via up to 600 lymph nodes. Without the lymphatic system moving your fluids around, you'd wind up experiencing bloating all the time because your body couldn't balance all its fluids. This doesn't mean the lymphatic system is perfect. It can get overloaded from time to time and work less effectively. That's where a lymphatic drainage massage comes in: By putting gentle pressure on your skin in areas where lymph nodes can be found, you can encourage your lymphatic system to pass fluid more rapidly throughout your body.

How does all this connect to the TikTok hack? In a nutshell, your lymphatic system extends to behind your ears and neck (via the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Therefore, the idea is that by putting rubber bands around your ears, you're stretching the skin enough to massage the lymph nodes around the ears and make extra fluid go away. Again, the hack's not likely to work, but it's somewhat rooted in science, at least.

Does this mean you have to say goodbye to the thought of quickly recovering from facial puffiness? Not necessarily, particularly if you're willing to learn the technique to perform an at-home lymphatic drainage massage. Speaking with Glamour, certified yoga instructor Annie Landa gushed about lymphatic drainage massage facials, asserting that the massage "reduces swelling and bloating, relieves physical pain, helps boost immune function, helps detoxify our body, and overall enhances our well-being." The article outlines a general flow for a lymphatic drainage massage, starting with tapping against the skin above the lymph nodes and ending by stroking the skin downward toward the heart.

Will your efforts work? They should, according to Lisa Levitt Gainsley, a certified lymphedema therapist who was interviewed by Healthline. In Levitt Gainsley's experience, lymphatic drainage techniques can accelerate the natural lymphatic system process. Consequently, if you wake up and feel like your face has gained weight overnight, you could proceed with a five-minute lymphatic drainage massage. And even if it doesn't totally take away the puffiness around your mouth, nose, and eyes, you won't have to awkwardly wind rubber bands or ponytail holders around your ears.