Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Recovery Therapy FAQ
Heal Faster. Heal Better.
Plastic Surgery Recovery Can Be Scary.
The information in this post will answer many of your questions regarding the recovery process after plastic surgery.
What Causes the Lumps and Bumps After Plastic Surgery?
Cosmetic surgery patients often feel a hardness or lumpiness in the areas treated with liposuction. This is normal shortly following the procedure.
During plastic & reconstructive surgery recovery lumpiness is especially noticeable in the abdominal area. When combined with other body contouring procedures like fat injections, the lumps can be quite large and distressing, not to mention uncomfortable.
Post-surgical swelling (called “edema”) is inflammation caused by trauma from the cannula (the tool they use to suck out fat) moving under the skin. The cannula creates channels that can fill up with fluid following the surgery. The tissue at the surgical site also becomes swollen because surgery is a form of trauma to the tissues.
Check out this video that shows how lymphatic massage helps to reduce post-surgical swelling.
Additionally, lumps can form in areas where swelling is left standing. This happens frequently on the sides just above the hips in women where their faja (body compression suit) doesn’t conform well.
These lumps are caused by the proteins found in the fluid. These proteins, when allowed to accumulate over time, eventually form a lattice-work like structure that is much like a bee’s honeycomb. This structure is known as fibrosis.
Fibrosis can be prevented or reduced through lymphatic massage. By removing the fluid and using a bit of gentle, but deeper pressure, the protein structures can be broken down.
Read more on reducing Lumps and Bumps after Plastic Surgery here.
Does Lymphatic Massage Help Get Rid of Bruising?
Absolutely! Lymphatic Massage during plastic surgery recovery does a great job at clearing up bruises.
Bruises are cellular debris (broken down tissues) and old red blood cells that are stuck in the tissues following surgery. Lymphatic Massage greatly reduces healing time for bruises by moving these waste products out of the spaces where they are trapped.
Getting rid of post-op bruises is one of the most visible results of Lymphatic Massage.
What About My Scars?
During Plastic Surgery Recovery Therapy which begins with Lymphatic Massage special scar reduction techniques are woven into the session starting at about the third week when the scar has “knit” together.
Once the scar has matured a bit more it is possible for me to use cupping and or gua sha or IASTM (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization) tools to make it even softer and less visible.
Is Lymphatic Massage Painful?
No. Lymphatic Massage as a part of plastic surgery recovery is very soothing and feels good, even right after surgery. If you have had painful “lymphatic massage,” it wasn’t being done correctly, and was probably being performed by someone with little to no training.
If you have had plastic surgery in Miami and got a package deal along with your recovery home, you probably had one of these less than professional experiences that left you feeling like you want to pass out. That was NOT true lymphatic work.
If you have had a painful “lymphatic massage” or are considering getting lymphatic massage after your surgery, be sure to read this.
Lymphatic Massage actually is NOT massage. It is technically called Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or MLD. It is a specialized advanced technique than can only be performed properly by someone who is a Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT), the most advanced lymphatic certification available.
Who done by a CLT, Lymphatic Drainage puts most people to sleep.
Why Should I Get Lymphatic Massage
Before and After Liposuction,
Cool Sculpting, Smart-lipo, or
Other Cosmetic Surgery Procedure?
Plastic surgeons often prescribe Lymphatic Massage before and after liposuction or other cosmetic surgery procedures to ensure their patients get the best possible results from their procedure.
Read the actual Research for yourself.
As part of plastic surgery recovery therapy, lymphatic massage helps the tissues heal faster than they would without the massage.
What Lymphatic Massage Does
Lymphatic Drainage moves the fluid back into the lymphatic system and eventually to the blood stream so it can be removed from the body by the kidneys (peed out).
Reducing the swelling usually reduces discomfort significantly, and patients often leave appointments feeling significantly better. Read more on Reducing Swelling After Plastic Surgery here.
Without Lymphatic Drainage, the post-surgical inflammation that does not drain on its own can evolve into fibrosis (permanent hardening) or a seroma (fluid pocket) can form.
Check out how to Prepare Yourself for Plastic Surgery for information of how to make sure you rebound quickly post-op.
What Happens if My Swelling Doesn’t Go Away on Its Own?
When the body is injured (through surgery, a fall, or a minor cut) specialized cells rush to the area to help stabilize, or splint, the tissue. Initially this is a very good thing because it helps to protect us from further damage like further tearing open a wound or using a finger where a tendon has been torn.
If the body is healing normally, these specialized stabilizing cells are slowly removed and normal function is restored. The removal of these stabilizing cells happens when circulation around the injured area is good and movement is happening. When this is the case, the body can move them away and recycle them.
When our bodies have been injured (including through elective surgery), we do not move as much because it is painful. Movement is one of the major driving forces of our lymphatic system which is how these stabilizing cells are removed. As a result, getting rid of these stabilizing cells becomes difficult.
If these stabilizing cells are not moved away they lead to the permanent hardening of the tissue called “fibrosis.” It’s called this because it feels like a bunch of fibers under the skin – similar to a hardened sponge.
I’ve chosen a picture of a knee here because it is easier to see than on an abdomen because you can compare it to a regular knee. The process/result that happens after plastic surgery is the same. This hardening of tissue (fibrosis) can occur anywhere on the body if the fluid is allowed to sit for too long.
How Many Lymphatic Massage Sessions
Will a Cosmetic Surgery Patient Need?
In an ideal world patients would get 1-2 sessions of Lymphatic Massage and Pulsed ElectroMagnetic (PEMF) Therapy (see below) prior to their procedure to ensure that the lymphatic system is unclogged and functioning well.
Getting treatment prior to your procedure can help ensure that your tissues are detoxified and are ready of surgery, your immune system is stimulated (more white blood cells are produced and actively circulating), any pre-operative swelling is reduced.
Following the procedure, the number of treatments vary by the type of surgery and the health of the lymphatic system of the patient. Here are some general guidelines:
7 sessions for facelift or eye lift procedures.
Up to 10+ sessions for basic liposuction on the legs, knees, and flanks.
As many as 13+ sessions for abdominal liposuction or multiple procedures, especially those where fat is re-injected into the body elsewhere (fat transfer). For example, lipo and a tummy tuck, or lipo and a buttock enhancement; Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL).
Read more here about how many lymphatic massages you will need after your plastic surgery.
About the Therapies That Help Post-Operative Plastic Surgery Patients
Lymphatic Massage
Lymphatic Massage (also known as Lymphatic Drainage) techniques move fluid out and away from the surgical site. This accomplishes three important tasks.
First, it reduces swelling by moving the accumulated fluid from the swollen area.
Second, wastes caused by the breakdown of damaged tissues are moved away from the surgical area.
Third, lymphatic flow is jump-started at the surgical site which facilitates the delivery of nutrients to the healing tissues.
It does this by creating room for the normal circulatory fluid to reach the damaged tissues. Prior to lymphatic drainage the flow of this fluid was blocked by stagnant fluid (swelling).
Manual Lymph Drainage (lymphatic massage post op) makes surgical drains less necessary by moving that fluid back into your bloodstream (not by pushing it into the drain or out of surgical holes in your body. Lymphatic therapy uses NATURAL processes – the lymphatic system – to help you pee out the fluid. Learn more here about how the lymphatic system works – it is probably not what you have seen about Lymphatic Massage on Instagram or in Facebook groups. (Learn more about the bad information you can get on social media here.)
Plan for a real Lymphatic Massage session after your surgery to make your recovery easier.
Put Yourself on the Recovery Fast Track
Heal Faster. Heal Better.
If you are planning on having cosmetic surgery,
check out this article on how to prep for cosmetic surgery.
If you are suffering from pain and swelling following cosmetic surgery,
give me a call and make your appointment today using the link below.
