Gentle massage using a cream or body butter can help reduce swelling, tightness, and discomfort after liposuction. Keep your hand soft so you can make as much skin-to-skin contact as possible with each massage stroke. Make your strokes as firm as is comfortable, but don't make yourself miserable!
A: The first week it is suggested that sessions be daily or every other day, if possible. The second week, every other day, reducing in frequency after that. It is not possible to get too much MLD and the sessions can be scheduled at your convenience.
Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage is frequently recommended by plastic surgeons during the recovery phase following cosmetic liposuction. This specialized form of massage is generally believed to decrease recovery time and improve results, by reducing post-surgical swelling and fibrosis (scar tissue formation).
You can try a seated, standing or lying down position. Try to do self-massage every day. If you need to do the massage on both sides of your body, start on one side of your body and go through each step. Once you have completed the steps on one side, repeat them on the other side of your body.
Gentle massage using a cream or body butter can help reduce swelling, tightness, and discomfort after liposuction. Keep your hand soft so you can make as much skin-to-skin contact as possible with each massage stroke. Make your strokes as firm as is comfortable, but don't make yourself miserable!
Massaging the skin using manual lymphatic drainage therapy can help improve lumps. This type of massage uses light pressure and delicate pumping movements to push fluid from the treatment area toward lymph nodes.
Move your hand down your chest in half circles toward your underarm. Massage your chest to help reduce swelling. This massage will move the lymph fluid from your neck and chest to your underarm lymph vessels and nodes.
Doctors will advise their patients that, without massage, there is a risk that the swelling and inflammation could turn into fibrosis, which is a permanent hardening of the area. Lymphatic Massage ensures you'll achieve the best results possible from your procedure!
Swelling usually starts to go down by the end of the first week but wearing the compression garments should continue until week four or as otherwise directed. Some degree of swelling may last for as long as six weeks, but within a few days, you should be comfortable enough to return to work.
While compression garments are designed to provide support and reduce swelling, it is possible to compress too much after liposuction. Over-compression can cause discomfort, skin irritation, and even damage to the underlying tissues. It's essential to choose a compression garment that fits snugly but comfortable.
Hygiene issues
You may shower 24 to 48 hours after surgery, if your doctor okays it. You may remove the compression wraps when you shower. Pat the cuts (incisions) dry. Do not take a bath for the first 2 weeks, or until your doctor tells you it is okay.
What Are the Best Ways to Reduce Lipo Swelling? Doctors recommend several best practices to help keep swelling down after your liposuction procedure. These include wearing your compression garment, using ice packs in affected areas, staying hydrated, and in some cases, massages.
Looking After Your Lymphatic System
Drink plenty of water – Dehydration is one of the most common causes of lymphatic congestion which can further exacerbate existing lymph problems. Drinking sufficient water throughout the day encourages healthy lymphatic function and reduces water retention.
Apart from water, there are other drinks that you can add to your diet plan for strengthening your lymph system. Among the best ones are: Freshly squeezed juices made of citrus fruits, leafy greens, ginger, apple, berries, and other similar plants. Various broths, including vegetable broth, fish, chicken, and others.
Expect to have an increased need to urinate.
The whole purpose of a manual lymphatic drainage massage is to help balance fluid and remove waste/toxins from the body, and how does that happen, through your urine. The increased need to urinate is actually a really really good thing.
What time of day is best to perform lymphatic drainage? The time of day that the massage is performed doesn't really make a difference in the end result. However, the idea is to do it every day, so find the time of the day that best fits your schedule and perform it daily.
“Many people during the course of normal recovery develop a certain hardness, stiffness and lumpiness,” Dr. Popp said. “But that's not a skin issue. It's the fat space traumatized by the liposuction.
It is soft and mildly tender without any significant signs of inflammation. Thereafter, as the remnants of the infiltrated fluid, serum and broken down fat are absorbed by the body, the swelling changes to a more firm to woody consistency with no or minimal pain and discomfort by the end of 2-3 weeks.