MEDICAL RESEARCH POST PLASTIC SURGERY LYMPHATIC MASSAGE:
"REAL SELF" QUESTIONS AND POSITIVE ANSWERS WITH VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC SURGEONS REGARDING LYMPHATIC MASSAGES
A: Are Lymphatic Massages Necessary After Having Liposuction? What is Fibrosis and How Is It Prevented?
-Hello,Whether you do it yourself or hire a 'specialist', post surgical massage is very good to redistribute small fluid collections, 're-drape' skin, and soften fibrosis (a normal reaction to surgical intervention). There is no evidence that expensive, high tech devices are of any benefit. If your surgeon didn't show you how, go visit a lymphatic/post-liposuction massage specialist for at least one visit to see how it's done. Best of luck!
Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS
116 reviews
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
-Thank you for your questions. Massage after liposuction can help improve the swelling and speed up the recovery, but it is not a fail-safe to prevent complications. You should discuss your post-op care with your surgeon as everyone has a different protocol for what they think works best.
Good luck!
Dallas Buchanan, MD
87 reviews
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
A: How Many Days After a Tummy Tuck Can a Person Start on Lymphatic Massages?
-I don't know who you are seeing but I have been using lymphatic massages for years. In a tummy tuck I recommend them at least a week post operative.
Darryl J. Blinski, MD
244 reviews
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
Below is a link to important Information by a New York Cosmetic Surgeon giving a somewhat comical/ somewhat not :) online lecture about how important the proper compression garment (faja), vitamins and lymphatic massages are.
by Dr. Scott Blyer aka Dr.B Fixin via Instagram and youtube.
(Note at 19 - 22 minutes he speaks of the results he's noticed from the clients receiving reputable lymphatic massages versus the ones who are not)
A: Postoperative Massage?
-Early postoperative massage speeds up the healing process. After liposuction you store fat cells turning solid into Swiss cheese. All the areas where fat is removed will fill with fluid. The garment and massage will place pressure on this area and collapse the holes and let the tissue scar together. Swelling will go away when all these spaces are scarred close. So the earlier you do the massage the faster these spaces will scar together. Early after the liposuction swelling fluid is then like water. Days or weeks later the fluid sticks like Jell-O. So the massages you do early have a better effect than one's done later. I think you're better off doing three massages in the first week and 10 by the third week.
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
VOTED MOST HELPFUL
A: LYMPHATIC MASSAGES AFTER BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT?
-The lymphatic massages can be beneficial to speed up the healing process. What the massage therapist is doing is moving the stored fluids in the liposuction areas to the lymphatic drainage system. By removing the excess fluids you are closing the gap between tissues and allowing them to heal faster.
The con of having the lymphatic massages is that it is an uncomfortable feeling. You are being massaged in areas that are still tender and bruised. But if you feel the benefit of faster healing is worth it, then proceed.
Mel T. Ortega, MD
1,108 reviews
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
From Krista Violet:
These are some of the positive reviews posted from several doctors found on the website "Real Self". While many doctors in the US, (particularly Miami) South & Central America believe that lymphatic massage is a must. There are also several doctors through out the Real Self website who say there is no research backing Lymphatic Massage. In the link below there is a clinical trial done post abdominoplasty and liposuction with positive results.
I definitely believe that someone certified in Manual Lymphatic Massage who has experience with plastic surgery patients can truly help aid in the recovery. Not every doctor is familiar with MLD massage. Nor are they aware of just how light the touch of lymphatic massage truly is. This massage is "totally different" from what the majority of massage therapists perform. It is a specialized field requiring a specific certification and a special interest.
I do lymphatic massage in the early days and weeks post surgery while there is swelling. My clients do not experience pain with lymphatic massage in the early days of recovery. They all report feeling better when they leave. For the tummy tucks they are able to stand up straighter and the discomfort diminishes for the first time post surgery. However, the swelling does return which is why it is important to come back regularly while recovering. Weeks later as the surgery heals and the swelling and bruising disappear I then do a deeper body contouring massage where I address remaining hardness and unwanted lumps. It takes between 15-25 to obtain best results and protect your surgery investment.
I recommend you do speak with your doctor and do your own research. Some doctors like their patients to get started with Lymphatic Massage right away and some like to wait. From my experience as well as my clients and the doctors who refer to me lymphatic massage does indeed make the pain and discomfort far more tolerable. It speeds up the recovery by weeks. It helps with the final results because you heal without lumps and knots that may not go away otherwise.
Link to Research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075221/