I came to skin the way most people do: through frustration.
I'm the founder of Hapa Wellness and the creator of the Hapa Method, a Japanese-inspired facial lifting and lymphatic drainage practice. But before any of that had a name, I was just someone dealing with acne, puffiness, and breakouts that didn't respond to anything I put on my face. I tried the serums. I tried the expensive treatments. Nothing really stuck, because I was treating the surface of a problem that wasn't coming from the surface.
But I started noticing a pattern. The people I worked with who saw the fastest, most consistent changes weren't necessarily the ones layering on more products. They were the ones who consistently supported lymphatic flow through gentle facial and neck movement, massage, and drainage techniques. Over time, many of them noticed less morning puffiness, more definition around the jaw and under the eyes, and less of that heavy, congested feeling in the face.
And when I looked closer, another pattern emerged: those changes often seemed to fluctuate alongside the menstrual cycle.
That second part is the piece I think gets left out of the hormone-health conversation. We talk a lot about what goes in: the seeds, the food, the supplements, the timing. But hormones don't simply stay in circulation forever. Once hormones have been used, they are metabolized primarily by organs such as the liver, and their metabolites are eventually eliminated from the body. Meanwhile, the lymphatic system collects excess fluid, proteins, and cellular waste from tissues and returns them to circulation for further processing and removal.
So when hormones shift throughout the month and influence things like inflammation, blood vessels, oil production, and fluid retention, your face can reflect those changes too. Supporting normal lymphatic flow can help with the fluid-retention and puffiness side of that picture.
Could It Be Your Lymph, Not Just Your Hormones?
If you've ever looked in the mirror and thought, why does my face look so different today? Puffier under the eyes, heavier around the jaw, less defined than it did a few days ago, it can be really easy to assume something is wrong.
Maybe you ate the wrong thing. Maybe your skincare stopped working. Maybe your face is just changing.
But sometimes, what you're seeing is much more temporary than that. Your face is responding to what’s happening inside your body.
Across your cycle, shifts in estrogen and progesterone can influence things like oil production, inflammation, skin hydration and how much fluid your body holds onto. Your lymphatic system helps move excess fluid out of your tissues and back toward circulation.
And because the face has so much superficial tissue, even small changes in fluid can show up quickly.
For me, this was such an important realization because I stopped treating every change in my face like a problem I needed to fix.
I started noticing the pattern instead.
And then a few days later, my face would look like “me” again. Instead of immediately reaching for another product or criticizing what you see in the mirror, you can start asking a different question:
What is my body trying to tell me today?
The Ritual: What Japanese Facial Lifting Actually Does
The Hapa Method is a lymphatic drainage practice first, and a "lift" second. My understanding of lymphatic care started long before I had language for it. I grew up watching my Japanese grandmother’s daily beauty routine and learning from her about むくみ (mukumi), the Japanese word for puffiness or swelling, and the importance of gently moving that fluid rather than simply trying to cover it with skincare.
As I got older, I wanted to understand the physiology behind what I had grown up seeing. I furthered my education in functional health, became a Functional Health Practitioner, and continued studying facial techniques through courses and seminars in Japan focused on facial sculpting and lymphatic drainage.
The Hapa Method brings those two worlds together. The technique is intentionally gentle. You don’t need advanced skills or heavy pressure to do it correctly. I typically recommend practicing for 5–15 minutes a day. Some people see an immediate, temporary difference in puffiness and facial definition after one session, while more consistent changes come from making it part of a routine.
If you want to see the technique itself in motion, I have many videos on Instagram at @thehapawellness. It’s much easier to understand visually than on the page or you can find my full program at www.thehapawellness.com.
Video credit: HAPA Wellness
Ma (間): Why the Pause Matters as Much as The Technique
There’s a Japanese concept, ma (間), that roughly describes the meaningful space between things. A pause that gives shape to what comes before and after it. In Japanese culture, you see it in everything from conversation and music to architecture and tea ceremony: the empty space isn’t considered wasted. It creates room to notice, reset, and be present.
That idea matters here because facial care doesn’t have to be another rushed task you squeeze into your day. The five or ten minutes you spend moving slowly, breathing, and paying attention to your face can become a pause between everything else demanding your attention.
Chronic rush and stress keep cortisol elevated, and elevated cortisol interferes directly with the balance between estrogen and progesterone. That matters for skin because estrogen and progesterone receptors are found in the skin, and normal fluctuations in these hormones across the menstrual cycle can influence hydration, oil production, barrier function, and other aspects of how the skin looks and behaves.
So the technique isn't the only thing doing the work. The five or ten minutes of slow, unhurried attention you give your face while doing it is its own intervention. A short, repeatable way of telling your nervous system to stand down.
Reading Your Skin Like a Cycle Tracker
If you're already seed cycling, tracking hormones, or paying attention to where you are in your cycle for mood, sleep, or PMDD, your face is giving you the same information.
Your skin changes week to week. It's responding to the same hormonal shifts you're already tracking everywhere else, which means it can be read the same way.
Follicular phase (post-period, pre-ovulation). Lymph tends to move more easily here, and skin often looks its calmest. Less puffiness, more even tone. It's a good window to build the habit of your facial ritual before the more reactive phases hit.
Ovulatory phase. This is usually the visibly high point. Circulation is up, oil production is balanced, and most people notice a natural glow that has nothing to do with what they put on their face that day.
Luteal phase. This is where fluid retention shows up first. Often under the eyes and along the jawline before anywhere else. Rising progesterone also tends to increase oil production, which is part of why breakouts often start in luteal, even though people associate them with their period.
Menstrual phase. As estrogen and progesterone both drop, skin can feel more reactive and sensitive, and breakouts that started brewing in luteal often surface here.
Something I see all the time is women assuming their face has suddenly ‘changed,’ when what they're noticing is temporary fluid retention. Watch it for a month and you may realize the same under-eye puffiness or softer jawline appears at roughly the same point in your cycle and disappears again a few days later.
The Hapa Method begins by opening up the drainage points behind the ears, around the neck and along the collarbone before moving into the face.
Photo credit: HAPA Wellness
Then, a cue for each phase:
- Follicular — a quick daily upward stroke along the jawline; sets the daily habit
- Ovulatory — light neck-to-collarbone strokes to keep supporting what's already flowing well
- Luteal — spend extra time under the eyes and along the jaw, where fluid tends to collect first
- Menstrual — go gentler than usual everywhere; the goal is calming reactive skin, not more stimulation
Where to Find Me
If any of this resonates, I share the Hapa Method: techniques, the reasoning behind them, and more on Instagram @thehapawellness. It's the best place to see the ritual itself rather than just read about it!
While this blog discusses health topics, it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider regarding any question you might have regarding your health.
About the Author
Hannah Duby is a half-Japanese wellness educator, Functional Health Practitioner, and founder of HAPA Wellness. Raised between San Francisco and Japan, she blends Japanese beauty and wellness traditions with functional health and skin science. Today, she shares practical, modern approaches to skin, longevity, and everyday wellness, grounded in traditional practices and physiology.
Some other articles on a related topic you may like to explore:
Seed Cycling for Skin and Hormonal Balance: Clear Skin from Within by Dr. Ulrike Kaunzner, MD, PhD
Seed cycling for hormone balance: A practical guide
The PMDD Toolkit: How Therapy, Lifestyle Shifts and Seed Cycling Work Together by Justine Carino, LMHC