Does It Hurt?
You can expect gentle post-surgical massage recovery techniques and virtually painless/minimal discomfort if there is any.
We DO NOT reopen incisions or drain fluid outside the body nor provide Incision Drainage (ID). This technique is (only reserved to your plastic surgeon only) out of the scope of massage therapy practice, IT’S AGAINST THE LAW and unnecessary by the time you come to see us. Your body has mechanisms for reabsorbing and expelling the fluid.
NO, POST OP RECOVERY MASSAGE AND AFTER CARE DOES NOT HURT: We proudly use gold standard Vodder techniques/ Klose Education and Academy of Lymphatic Studies for lymphatic drainage. We practice Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage. This is a gentle technique meant to facilitate the reduction of swelling, bruising and pain.
**Please note: We DO NOT: Massage with negative pressure (cupping) to drain or increase lymphatic drainage during your post-op recovery stage 1-5 because it can reverse the benefits of your compression garment. Likewise, we do not use cavitation and wood therapy for any stage 1-5 post-surgical patients While these are great treatments for those who want body contouring without surgery, they can be devastating to your surgical outcome. These therapies can disrupt the healing process by preventing the skin from reattaching to fascia (which could cause seroma or fibrosis). Not only can cavitation cause sagging skin post-surgery, but it can also burn your skin and organs, as it’s impossible to perform properly on inflamed tissue. Wood therapy carries the risk of reopening incisions, increasing the risk of infection, delaying healing and adding internal and external scarring.
While cavitation, wood therapy and other types of therapies all have their place in the bodyworker’s toolbox, they should be avoided for fourth to six months to a year after surgery, depending on the surgery type and individual healing process.