How to know if what you are getting
is really Lymphatic Massage
Many people are talking about what constitutes “lymphatic massage”.
If you are confused, you aren’t alone.
Have you gone to get a lymphatic massage and were confused about why everyone thinks it is so great? It wasn’t that great for you. You went to the practitioner’s website, booked what you *thought* was a lymphatic massage session, but you walked out wondering what makes it so special. It really didn’t seem that much different from any other massage you have had, or it was super deep and painful.
NEWS FLASH: There is a very high likelihood that you didn’t actually get real lymphatic work!
THE PROBLEM?
There’s No Actual Regulation or Oversight of the Lymphatic Industry
In today’s world people can throw up an Instagram page and claim that they do lymphatic massage with no legitimate training, and no one is checking up on their licensure or credentials. This happens ALL OF THE TIME. Most of the practitioners out there in your town – wherever you are, are not legit.
Lymphatic Massage has become a fad, and whenever something is a fad everyone wants to jump on that bandwagon.
This cheats you, the person paying good hard-earned money, out of a legitimate experience leaving you feeling less than impressed OR it can put you at severe risk of health complications. If you are healthy, well, you lost out. If, however, you have a condition like lymphedema or have had plastic surgery recently, there could be serious consequences for going to a person who does not have adequate training.
Unfortunately many people don’t post their credentials online or have them posted in their office. So how are you to know? You could ask them, but they may not tell you the truth – or they may exaggerate the truth to make you think their “training” is valid.
Licensure can be checked for most states. This article lists the massage boards for each state and you can look up their massage license on most all of them. That’s a start, but that doesn’t mean they have had lymphatic training. That’s harder to figure out, so I have written this article to help you be a better informed consumer.
This article will help you understand what lymphatic massage is, how it is performed, what to expect during and after a session to help you figure out if your therapist really has proper training.
What is Lymphatic Massage?
Let’s begin with the most obvious question people ask: “What is lymphatic massage?”
This probably will be confusing, but lymphatic massage is NOT massage at all.
WHAT?!?!?!?
Yep.
The proper term for “lymphatic massage” is Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or MLD for short.
that facilitates the movement of fluid from the tissues (what we call swelling)
into the lymphatic system (a network of vein-like structures that carry fluid)
so that it can be transported back into the bloodstream
where it is removed by the kidneys and peed out.
and NEVER under any circumstance involves
poking open holes through the skin and expressing fluid
(bypassing the lymphatic system entirely).
Who Should I Go See to Get REAL Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)?
Proper MLD is a therapeutic skin stretching technique performed by trained individuals who have undergone education and certification from accredited institutions such as the Klose, Norton, or Vodder lymphatic schools. These professionals are equipped with a deep understanding of the lymphatic system’s anatomy, physiology, and the specific techniques required to stimulate lymphatic flow.
Two levels of certification are generally recognized in the field of lymphatic drainage: Manual Lymphatic Drainage Certified, or MLD-C an entry-level certification, and Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT), which represents the highest level of lymphatic certification.
CLT’s qualify after working in the field for some time to sit for the optional LANA exam. (MLD-C certified therapists do not qualify to sit for the LANA exam.) The LANA exam is a very challenging exam administered by the Lymphology Association of North America. Certified Lymphedema Therapists who pass the exam are then denoted as CLT-LANA, the highest possible credential a therapist can hold. This is more or less equivalent to being “board certified” in the lymphatic discipline. Only the most well-educated therapists dare to challenge this notoriously difficult optional exam to prove their level of knowledge.
Professionals who hold these legitimate lymphatic certifications (MLD-C, CLT, and CLT-LANA) are well-versed in the application of lymphatic techniques (“lymphatic massage”) and are capable of tailoring their approach to individual patient needs. Their interventions can significantly improve quality of life for those suffering from lymphatic disorders, post-operative swelling, or other related conditions.
How to Tell If You Are Getting Real Lymphatic Massage
1. It ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS begins at the Lymphatic Terminals: Authentic MLD sessions always begin near the collarbone region at the base of the neck, where the lymphatic terminals are located. The lymphatic system dumps into the bloodstream here at the venous angle (where the jugular vein meets the subclavian vein). If your practitioner does not do this first, they haven’t even had a single class on the subject. If the very end of the lymphatic pathway is clogged and not cleared first, then subsequent efforts to move fluid from the rest of the body will not be very effective.
2. Oil or Cream are NEVER EVER used: Unlike many traditional massage techniques, genuine Lymphatic Massage (MLD) sessions do not involve the application of oil or any lubricants. This is because the skin’s stretch and movement are crucial for opening lymphatic vessels. Oil hinders the necessary skin traction under the therapist’s hands, which is absolutely necessary to get fluid from the tissues (swelling) into the lymphatic vessels. If your practitioner has used oil or cream, they are not a lymphatic practitioner.
3. Gentle Rhythmic Movements: Authentic MLD techniques involve gentle, rhythmic movements that mimic the natural pulse of the lymphatic system. These movements are designed to encourage lymphatic flow without causing discomfort or stressing the skin. This pulsing movement is relaxing and feels very soothing.
4. No Rubbing, Poking, or Brushing and Very Little Pressure: In true MLD, practitioners refrain from rubbing, poking, or brushing the skin. The goal is not to manipulate the superficial layers of the skin or get into the deeper tissues (like muscle), but to influence the underlying lymphatic vessels which lie between the skin and the muscle. Techniques involve stretching the skin with not much downward pressure. If your therapist is rubbing, poking, or brushing your skin (like one would do to get powder off of the skin), then they have not had proper training.
5. Specific Technique Sequence: Certified MLD practitioners follow a specific sequence of techniques that target different regions of the body, progressively moving fluid towards regional lymph nodes. A legitimate practitioner will begin at the base of the neck, followed by pushing in your armpits and in your groin area to clear those regional nodes. Then they will direct their skin stretching strokes on your arms, torso, and legs to your armpits or groin. For the neck, face and head the strokes will be downward toward the collarbone.
Benefits of Real Lymphatic Massage (MLD)
Engaging in authentic MLD sessions offers a range of benefits, including:
-
Reduced Swelling: MLD helps alleviate swelling by encouraging the drainage of excess fluids from the tissues.
-
Enhanced Immune Function: By facilitating the movement of white blood cells and immune components, MLD supports the body’s immune response.
-
Post-Surgery Recovery: MLD can aid in the healing process after surgeries by reducing post-operative swelling and promoting tissue regeneration.
- Detox: Lymphatic massage decidedly helps to remove toxins such as artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and any other nasty things like pesticides that you have come into contact with.
False Statements About Lymphatic Massage
Many people will attempt to market lymphatic massage by saying that it will accomplish any of the following things (among others):
- Help you lose fat/weight loss: While lymphatic work can be a great way to kickstart a new diet by helping you to shed some extra water weight, it does absolutely nothing to fat cells. It does not shrink them, nor does it cause them to expel their contents. These are blatant lies. Furthermore, raking the skin with tools to “dislodge” or “break down fat” does not work. Do not believe this hype.
- Get rid of cellulite: Cellulite is caused by the strands of connective tissue that hold the skin on our bodies by tacking it down to the muscle underneath. In women the strands are vertical between the skin and muscle, so they create a “quilt-like effect” wherein the fat in the area serves as the “quilt stuffing.” Fluid in the tissues also can act as stuffing. Getting fluid out of the tissues can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite (until the fluid returns). However, it does absolutely nothing to address the condition itself.
Many people advertise that they can fix cellulite. Don’t take the bait. Even plastic surgeons can’t get rid of it. To make it “go away” the bands of connective tissue that cause the dimpling must be cut or dissolved. However, these bands are necessary to keep your skin from sliding down to your feet. The body will regrow them even with surgical or chemical interventions.
So, why don’t men get cellulite? Their bands grow in a cross-hatch pattern which pulls the skin sideways, not down toward the muscle – so there’s a lot less chance that they will ever develop cellulite. (Women, we are getting the short end of the stick once again!)
Non-Valid “Lymphatic Massage” Courses
So, now that we have talked about what lymphatic massage is and what it can and cannot do, let’s look at what is happening in and outside of the massage industry that is causing so much confusion for consumers.
- Massage Continuing Education Taught By People Who Aren’t Properly Trained
Massage therapists are required to get a certain number of continuing education credits each year to maintain their license. As such, there are a number of online video courses in every possible technique from Swedish to Deep Tissue Massage to Bamboo Therapy. This is a HUGE industry, and the courses are often inexpensive.
Most massage therapists who are trying to meet their state’s continuing ed credits before their license renews don’t really care about the quality of the education they receive. Rather, they are concerned with whether or not their state will accept the credits to get their license renewal.
The people who generally teach these online continuing education credits are almost always people who have had little to no education in the subject themselves. They are making a quick buck and issuing a piece of paper that say people are “certified lymphatic practitioners.” As I am writing this today, in fact, I saw a 4 hour class of this nature for a few hundred dollars that claimed that massage therapists could treat lymphedema (a complex medical disorder) after an online course! The only people who are properly trained for this type of treatment have taken a minimum of a 135 hour course from an accredited school making them a Certified Lymphedema Therapist. - People Who Have No Training (and Often No License) Teaching Other People Who Also Aren’t Licensed
THIS is where things get super dicey and downright dangerous for the consumer.
If you spend any time at all on Instagram or TikTok looking at plastic surgery recovery information, you will see an abundance of courses for several thousand dollars offered over a 1-2 day time frame in which you can become “Post-Op Certified.”
The people hosting these courses do not care if a person holds a massage license. Just pay them the money, attend the course, and “You are post-op certified”! Woo-hoo! Um, no.
Almost every state requires people who touch other people for a living (massage therapists, chiropractors, phyical therapists, occupational therapists, dentists, cosmetologists, nail techs, eyelash techs, hairdressers, etc.) to have a state license. To get a state license you must meet certain minimum hour requirements (the lowest of which for massage therapy is 500 hours) from an accredited school. Then there are licensure exams about the discipline itself and usually there is a state exam about the laws governing that practice (jurisprudence exam).
The people teaching these illegitimate post-op “certification” courses tell the people in the 1-2 day course that all they have to do is disclose that they aren’t a licensed massage therapist and that everything is “fine.” Everything is NOT fine.
1. You cannot learn everything a therapist is required to know to safely touch a human body in 8-16 hours.
2. You cannot learn everything needed to do proper MLD (lymphatic massage) in 8-16 hours.
3. You cannot learn everything needed to know to safely operate a cavitation or radio frequency device in 8-16 hours.
4. You cannot learn how to use tools such as wood therapy in 8-16 hours.
YET, they claim to teach ALL of this in 1-2 days!
Furthermore, these “classes” teach people without a medical license or any training in anatomy and physiology to reopen incisions and push bodily fluids out of the body after plastic surgery!
So, What is This Pushing Fluid Out of Holes Thing You Were Talking About?
The Dangers of Allowing Untrained Persons do Incisional Drainage
Untrained individuals performing illegal incisional drainage (while calling it “lymphatic massage”) lack the necessary education and understanding of the lymphatic system. If fluid from the tissues (swelling) is not taken up by the lymphatic system, it is NOT lymphatic at all.
Incisional drainage involves making incisions or punctures into the skin in an attempt to manually remove fluids. This approach is highly dangerous and illegal if performed by either a massage therapist or unlicensed person. Dealing with any kind of bodily fluid is considered a medical procedure and must be done by someone who holds a medical license.
Massage therapists, in particular, are explicitly prohibited from working with bodily fluids due to the risk of contamination and infection. One of the most severe complications that can arise from unsterile practices involving bodily fluids is sepsis—a life-threatening condition where the body’s response to infection can lead to organ failure. Sepsis can progress rapidly and has a high mortality rate if not promptly treated.
The Legal and Health Implications
It is essential to emphasize that incisional drainage by untrained individuals is not only unsafe and illegal, but it is an outright crime that is punishable under laws governing performing unauthorized medical procedures or practicing medicine without a license. This poses a serious risk to the individuals undergoing such procedures and undermines public health and safety.
Seeking MLD from a certified professional not only ensures that the techniques are applied safely but also provides a level of expertise that can lead to positive outcomes. Proper lymphatic massage (MLD) sessions are conducted with hygiene protocols and sterile techniques, minimizing the risk of infections and complications.
