What Happens If You Don’t Get Lymphatic Massage after Lipo?

Liposuction is a well-known treatment that not only gets rid of unwanted fat but can also boost your self-esteem. However, post-surgical care is just as important when getting such surgery.

Lymphatic drainage can help lower the risk of complications post-liposuction surgery. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of Lymphatic Massage after liposuction and also the effects on the body if you don’t get it.

What Happens in Your Lymphatic System After Liposuction?

To understand why this treatment is important, we need to understand the effects of surgery on the system. Whenever you cause trauma to your body via surgery, you can cause swelling. This is your body’s natural way of healing itself.

When the suction device or the knife damages your skin, it disrupts your lymphatic pathway and can cause fluid buildup in your system.

This fluid will then continue to build and block the lymphatic system, which can result in the area forming a fatty lump underneath the skin. The hard lumps begin to create anywhere from 1-3 weeks post-surgery – this is where Lymphatic drainage comes in.

I have had clients come to me post-surgery, whereby their limbs have swelled so badly that they cannot walk properly and get severely ill. The treatment can help avoid this severe reaction and help you on your way to recovery.

How Does Lymphatic Drainage Help Your Body Recover After Liposuction?

Liposuction is a procedure that lowers the number of fat cells in the area you are treating. Once those fat cells are removed, your skin will reshape to fit the new body shape the surgeon created.

Before your body can reshape itself, your body creates inflammation in the area to help it heal.

The inflammation and excess fluid that your body produces allows nutrients and blood to flow through that area which heals the cells that might have been damaged during your surgery.

Lymphatic drainage is a natural treatment option that will remove the inflammation from the area safely without causing further damage or trauma to your body. The excess fluid will then be flushed out of your system.

The drainage will help your body recover from the surgery because it can help prevent a permanent condition known as Fibrosis. This occurs when your body has excess fluid built up that is not drained.

The Advantages of Lymphatic Drainage After Liposuction

During treatments, I can see that lymphatic drainage massage relieves the pain and discomfort after my client’s surgery. But there are more advantages to the treatment:

1. Reduces your recovery time

Manual lymph drainage is beneficial when it comes to reducing swelling and fast tracks your recovery by promoting the natural healing process in your body.

It improves your circulation and removes the blockages in your body. This is specifically helpful when it comes to post-liposuction treatment because recovery can be a long journey.

2. Reduces the risk of scar tissue buildup

Liposuction can cause Fibroids to form under your skin after the surgery. This can be painful and the lumps underneath the skin do not look appealing.

Scar tissue buildup, also known as Fibrosis, can be avoided with lymphatic drainage as it will help to reduce the fluid build-up and minimizes scar tissue formation.

3. Reduces Infection Risk

A person can get an infection after every surgery, including Liposuction. The tools used can move a dormant infection from one part of your body and spread it to the area where you are being treated.

Lymphatic drainage will keep the fluids in your body moving, which reduces the risk of post-surgical infection.

Most importantly, this massage is a vital step to ensure that the balance is restored once again in your body.

What Happens If You Don’t Get A Lymphatic Drainage Massage?

As we know, your body has a natural way of healing itself. When your lymphatic system has been disturbed, the natural healing process will slow down. This means that it will be harder to get rid of the swelling in your body.

Your immune system will become weaker, which means you will get sick more often and for longer periods of time.

We all know that when we scrape our knee on the dining room table, not only does it hurt, but our body allows fluid to build up in that area. The fluid is a shield to help your body heal the injury.

The same thing happens when you have surgery. The only difference is the fluid around a surgical area needs help to remove itself from the area.

In other words, the swelling will continue to stay around the area you have the surgery without lymphatic drainage. This fluid buildup will cause you discomfort and can restrict your daily movement.

How Long After Liposuction, Should You Get a Lymphatic Drainage Massage?

This is a difficult question to answer as it will depend on how big of an area you get treated in and what your doctor will recommend.

I like to tell my clients to wait a week before they start their lymphatic drainage journey with me. This gives their body a week to recover and stabilizes the healing process.

You should get a one-hour session once a week in the first month post-surgery. After a month, you can go for a 30-minute session once a week to ensure you stay on the right path. Some clients will have to have monthly sessions for the rest of their lives due to the trauma caused.

Final Thoughts:

In my professional opinion, including lymphatic drainage in your post-liposuction journey is essential to ensure that you heal faster, and receive better overall results. Ensure you go to a therapist qualified in lymphatic drainage and know how to treat people post-surgery.

Even though lymphatic drainage is safe for most people, there are certain cases whereby this treatment option will need permission from doctors and surgeons.

If you have a history of blood clots, kidney diseases, or heart problems, ask your doctor if it is safe for you to have the manual lymph drainage treatment.