How manual lymphatic drainage can help you recover post-surgery.

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I am willing to try just about anything, but I am the world’s number one skeptic when it comes to skincare procedures.  I feel like I’ve tried so many things that ultimately wind up being just a trend, don’t really work, or wind up, in the long run, being actually damaging to the skin. I try things not just to see if they work, but so I know what it feels like if I decide to offer it as a service to my clients.  

One of the procedures that I was skeptical about was manual lymphatic drainage (MLD).  It seemed somewhat mysterious to me. “Although the blood system has been studied extensively, the lymphatic system has received much less scientific and medical attention.  However, a series of landmark discoveries made in the past decade has begun to change the previous misconception of the lymphatic system to be secondary to the more essential blood vascular system.”

The lymphatic system is an extensive network of vessels that passes through our bodies which allow movement of lymph fluid.  It plays a key roll in our immune system by filtering out bacteria and harmful substances from our bodies.  Our bodies have approximately 600 lymph nodes throughout with higher concentrations in the armpit area, below the jaw, and the groin area.

I began to research and embarked on taking an intensive training class geared towards estheticians.  I trained in the Vodder Method.  MLD massage was developed in the 1930’s by Emil and Astrid Vodder who were treating patients with chronic colds who’s lymph nodes were consistently swollen.  After several years of developing their technique to drain the lymphatic system, they introduced their method in Paris.  

The Vodder Method removes metabolic waste, excess water, bacteria, and toxins from your bodily tissues by employing slow and rhythmic massage motions which relax the sympathetic nervous system, activate the immune system and help the body recover faster from surgery. The added benefit is that it also helps minimize scar formation.  Because of the light touch, the massage is painless and very relaxing while accomplishing great healing.

The nodes can swell due to infection, trauma, bacteria and immune system cells. Lymph nodes can become infected and cause inflammation known as lymphadenitis.  When lymph nodes are removed – sometimes due to cancer surgery, a buildup of the fluid can occur leaving part of the body without a way to drain off that built-up fluid. This back-up of the lymph system is called lymphedema and can become a chronic condition.

Cosmetic surgeries all create lymphatic build-up because swelling is your body’s natural form of healing itself.  In some cases, the swelling can last up to a year.  These procedures include face lifts, rhinoplasty (nose surgery), tummy tucks and liposuction.  Because I am licensed to only deal with the head neck and face, I have seen clients post facelift surgery, eye lift surgery and post-traumatic surgery.  Since everyone has a different speed of healing, level of inflammation and tolerance, there is no way to really measure the difference, but when inflammation is present and a proper MLD massage has been performed, that change can be astonishing, and the rate of healing can be sped up considerably.  I have also seen scars heal much better with MLD.

Many of my post-surgical clients complain that if they knew what they would look like immediately following their procedure, they would have never opted to do it because of the discomfort due to swelling.  Usually by the third or fourth visit, they begin to see a huge difference in their appearance and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Based on the most recent study, it is recommended to have five lymphatic massages prior to surgery, back to back, leaving 48 hours before procedures. Then, another five back to back treatments following the surgery based on the approval by the surgeon.

One of my favorite clients was a gentleman who had suffered a rare case of ear cancer.  His face was disfigured after the tumor removal, and as a result of tissue expansion for future plastic surgery. His face was extremely swollen and after only two sessions, the muscle below the skin had softened, and the swelling was significantly reduced.  He continued therapy twice a week for several weeks and felt confident that he was prepared for reconstructive surgery.

So yes – it really does work, and it’s one of my most favorite services to perform.  I love to see peoples’ transformations, and I am so happy that I decided to take that added training.

[1] (The New Era of the Lymphatic System: No Longer Secondary to the Blood Vascular System Inho Choi, Sunju Lee, and  Young-Kwon Hong [PMID: 2474611 PMCID: PMC3312397  DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006445]).