Healing from Gender Affirming Surgery
With Lymphatic Massage
Like any plastic surgery, gender affirming surgeries are very tough on the body.
Several procedures are required and healing from them is very taxing. Lymphatic massage is a gentle and effective technique that can help speed your recovery.
PAIN & SWELLING SOLUTIONS IS A SAFE,
NON-JUDGMENTAL ENVIRONMENT.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
What Types of Surgeries Do You Have Experience Working With
on Transgender People?
As a therapist who specializes in plastic surgery recovery, I have worked on people who have had most all of the common procedures associated with transitioning either from male to female or from female to male – and at various stages of the transition process. Most of the surgeries involved in transitioning are very common surgeries that come through my office every day.
Surgeries for Males Transitioning to Female
For males transitioning to female usually involves adding of breast implants, and Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) which softens the more masculine lines of the face such as the brow line, rhinoplasty (nose job), smoothing the jaw, chin, and forehead, and altering the cheek bones.
Likewise, many trans women get a chondrolaryngoplasty, or “tracheal shave,” to help reduce the prominence of the Adam’s apple, and at some point then undergo a GRS which involves penectomy and orchiectomy followed by a vaginoplasty.
Surgeries for Females Transitioning to Male
Females who are transitioning to male undergo a mastectomy, a hysterectomy, masculinizing genitoplasty to remove the vagina and create a scrotum and penis, and other additional cosmetic procedures intended to masculinize the appearance such as facial and pectoral implants.
I have worked with clients who have had all of the above procedures with great success.
A Common Question
A question that I often get is whether or not I can help after GRS surgery, and the answer is yes. I avoid areas that are too private (so, no worries!), but by stimulating the entire lymphatic system and focusing on the regional lymph nodes that serve the surgical areas, we can get the swelling to reduce. Also, I can provide verbal instructions for what someone can do at home to get the most benefit from the session.
How Pain & Swelling Solutions
Can Help You Through Your Transitional Surgery
Plastic surgery causes swelling that can make the recovery both nerve wracking and uncomfortable, but the right types of post op therapies can help to reduce the swelling and calm anxiety about recovery. As a therapist who specializes in plastic surgery recovery, I know what looks right and when something looks suspicious.
That means that you have another set of expert eyes helping to spot problems if they crop up. Rest assured that most things that bother people after plastic surgery are totally normal and are just part of the healing process. My clients find it reassuring to know that their worries are usually really no cause for concern.
The primary post-operative healing therapies I use are Manual Lymphatic Drainage, also called “Lymphatic Massage,” and gentle Myofascial Release.
Lymphatic Therapies help to reduce swelling, bruising, and pain post-operatively. Two types of therapies are offered: Manual Lymphatic Drainage (similar in nature to a massage, and what is used initially) and Electro-Lymphatic Therapy which is done with a machine can be used during later stages of recovery for trouble spots where swelling is being stubborn. Both are painless and very effective to help reduce swelling.
Myofascial Release is a technique that helps to relieve tight areas of the body and help to restore normal range of motion. This is very beneficial especially after liposuction procedures where the skin begins to tighten and restrict movement. When done cautiously, this therapy is very gentle and effective and can restore normal movement without causing pain.
Depending on where you are in your healing journey will determine which therapies are used. Lymphatic is used throughout, and myofascial release often begins around the third week or so if needed. Both are totally painless and you feel great after your session!
