Lymphatic drainage utilizes a light rhythmic compression and stimulation of the body's natural waste removal pathways helping rid tissue of cellular debris, toxins, excess fluid, fibrosis, anesthesia breakdown, and pathogens. The pressure is light to moderate, lymphatic massage is not a deep tissue technique, although it does affect the body in a deep manner. Your Therapist will do a complete medical history and prepare the table with necessary bolstering for your specific needs. You will disrobe to your comfort level, just like for a regular massage and possibly bring someone to help you on and off the table if needed. If you prefer to wear your undergarments, please make sure they are loose fitting and not constricting. You will then position yourself face up on the treatment table using the provided bolstering systems for comfort and to decrease pressure and increase accessibility to your procedure regions. Your Therapist will begin by opening the major lymphatic vessels in your body, then move to the more concentrated pathways specific to your procedure sites. The session is very relaxing however, may be mildly uncomfortable if you are closer to your procedure date due to tenderness.

Ideal treatment plan for pre surgical procedure Lymphatic Drainage would include a standard care plan consisting of 3 MLD sessions 3-4 days apart prior to your surgery date, with a minimum of 1 session if there are cost or other constraints.  This will help prepare the body to receive anesthesia and to clear out the lymphatic drainage pathways of accumulated waste, debris and toxins prior to your surgery helping to speed recovery time and improve healing and fluid removal as you move into your post procedure care.

Fourteen days post surgery for most procedures is the recommended timeframe when you should be receiving your first MLD session at Unlocking The Body. Ideally, this care plan should have been booked prior to your surgery date. Each session is typically a one hour appointment. However, clients may be seen from 1 hour up to 2 hours depending on their specific needs. Your Therapist may also choose to incorporate different modalities into your session depending on where you are at in your treatment plan such as Massage Therapy or Cupping. 

During the session clients may feel nothing except the Therapist’s hands on their body, or they may feel things are moving inside their body. Movement of fluid, a decrease in skin or fascial tightness, or an increase in a parasympathetic signified by gurgling of your digestive system may all be observed, as well as a fullness in your bladder or the need to urinate immediately or soon after the end of your session. Following the session some clients feel a deep sense of relaxation while others may find immediate relief of a fullness or puckering of their incision area, increased urination can also continue for several hours post treatment as well. Results and experiences vary just as your unique healing journey is to others, remember, these pathways were damaged during your procedure and will require some time to heal. 

Response to MLD varies for each individual and procedure received. Your response is uniquely your own and can't be compared to anyone else's — even those cases that may appear to be similar to your own. The number of sessions needed varies widely — from one to two per week over the course of several weeks. Your Practitioner will discuss your specific plan with you at the end of your first session. As a general rule, we recommend a commitment of 3 sessions when establishing care to give your body time to respond to the treatments and to start to see results. Ideal treatment plans post cosmetic procedures are 1-2 times a week for 6-12 weeks for optimum results while healing occurs. Minimum care plans post surgical procedure would be 1 time per week for 6 sessions.

For post cosmetic care most Massage School training simply isn't enough for the complexities of surgical procedures. Many variables make this a modality one where it pays to see someone with a significant amount of training above initial schooling. Rest assured at Unlocking The Body, you are receiving care from a highly skilled Therapist who has had supplemental training above and beyond the basic training received in Massage School for Manual Lymphatic Drainage. Our Therapists adhere to the Vodder method of MLD, which is a medically based Lymphatic Drainage application, and have a minimum of 40 additional hours of training in specific post surgical MLD on top of other advanced MLD training. 250 hours in general Lymphatic work are required to be considered a certified Lymphatic Drainage Therapist by the governing bodies who provide certification. Anne Schiele is our Lymphatic Drainage Instructor in house who provides all of our mentorship and training for our Therapist.

If you are shopping around, be sure to ask your potential Therapist what training they have in addition to their Massage School training in Manual Lymphatic Drainage, as well as Post Cosmetic Lymphatic Drainage.