Japanese technique of patting is best skincare application method

This is the key to youthful skin

If you aren’t getting the promised results from your skincare products, it may because you are applying them all wrong.

Skincare aficionados in Japan say that patting on lotions, serums, and creams is the key application for perfect skin - rather than rubbing.

Referred to as the “skin patting” approach, the technique encourages people to pat on their skincare - so as to stimulate blood flow and promote collagen.

Odd? Yes. But according to the experts at Hada Labo, the skincare gurus behind the cult favourite Japanese skin serum Gokujyon lotion, it works.

On the Hada Labo website, it reads: “For centuries, Japanese women have been admired and even envied for their beautiful skin.

“In many cases, warming by rubbing between the palms of the hands and then systematically patting on the face and neck is the recommended application,” says the website.

This is because the technique “enhances absorption,” according to Hada Labo, and “paired with circulation-boosting massage and other pampering rituals, it yields luxuriously effective results.”

And according to cosmetic dermatologist Francesca Fusco, who spoke to Cosmopolitan: “Patting is better than spreading on your skincare.”

Patting your skin products on is the correct technique

This is because it is more gentle, as patting doesn’t pull on your skin like rubbing in lotion would.

Additionally, patting limits the possibility of “messing up the flow of your lymphatic system. If you spread on your cream, you can accidentally push against the flow of your lymphatic system, which an actually make you puffy - especially around your eye area,” according to Fusco.

So if you want to ensure your skincare regime is helping your skin, and not contributing to the creation of fine lines, switch out your rubbing for patting.