Why We Do Post-Surgery Massage

Lymphatic drainage has its place and is helpful for certain types of clients, but it is NOT all-inclusive, and plastic surgery clients need more. Many clients feel like they get little instructions and support from the surgical team, especially when they travel out of the area for surgery. I use my years of practice, specialized training, and personal surgical experience to give clients the best results.

POST-SURGERY MASSAGE

POST-SURGERY MASSAGE SERVICES

  • Incisional Drainage

    Immediately after liposuction, gentle massage is used to push excess lymph and tumescent from open incisions. Clients will feel immediate relief and increased range of motion. This massage can be performed daily until incisions are healed and do longer draining.

  • Post Op Treatment

    From week 2 through week 8, post-surgery. Helps your body speed up the recovery process. Ultrasound, radio frequency, skin rolling, dry brushing, topical analgesics, we end with a 'feel good' massage for those aching neck and shoulders after weeks of being in uncomfortable positions.

  • Post-Surgery Maintenance

    Surgery clients that are healed and want to maintain results. Ideally 1-2 x a month.

    If there are other areas you want to sculpt, please book a body contour appointment.

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Post-Surgery Massage Benefits

Massage plays a vital role as a supplement to standard rehabilitation procedures after surgery. Post-operative, or post-surgery, refers to a series of massage styles that range from gentle to firmer techniques of massage designed to increase blood flow and promote recovery by targeting the lymphatic system.
You do not NEED to receive post-op massages. However, clients that don’t receive post-op massage treatments can have more complications and have uneven results. Post-op massages help clients heal faster, decrease inflammation and post-op fluid quicker, and can help prevent fibrosis.

Post-Surgery Massage | Incisional Massage

Incisional massage occurs the 1st week after liposuction, though some clients may continue to drain into the 2nd-week post-op. During this treatment, serosanguineous fluid and tumescent is manually massaged/pushed towards the incision sites and expressed out of the body. This is beneficial for clients with and without JP ( bulb) drains.
We start with light pressure and gradually increase as a client’s pain tolerance increases. It is vital to use gentle pressure initially, and not cause any additional trauma during this time. Reducing swelling in this way makes it much easier for clients to move around and feel much more comfortable after the massage, despite how uncomfortable the massage may initially be.

Post-Surgery Massage | After Drainage

Post Surgery Massage takes place once the client is no longer draining from incisions. The client is positioned with foam pillows to protect areas that had surgery. Typically, this is the most comfortable position they have been in since the day before surgery. We use a variety of techniques to help the client recover, including:
  • Hand massage encourages lymph drainage using very gentle pressure and skin stretching
  • More aggressive hand massage to help break up scar tissue that may be developing
  • Ultrasound therapy to reduce pain/ swelling/ adhesions
  • Gentle wood therapy when the skin can tolerate it, to start shaping the body
  • Vibrational plates to stimulate lymph flow
  • Heat lamps or cold globes depending on the client’s needs