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Lymphatic Drainage Massage (LDM)
Best Candidates:
- Patients who want to enhance and speed their recovery from cosmetic surgery.
- Patients with postoperative swelling find LDM to be very soothing and effective in its resolution.
What is the Lymphatic System:
- The lymphatic system is an accessory circulatory system similar to the cardiovascular system with the exception that it does not have the pumping action of the heart. Therefore, lymphatic circulation is much more tenuous and depends on small muscles in the walls of the lymphatic vessels themselves as well as on the pressure and activity of the surrounding tissues.
The lymphatic system is responsible for absorbing and transporting metabolic waste products away from tissues, and these waste products include dead cells, large molecules such as fatty acids and proteins, and also viruses and bacteria. In the healing phase following surgery, waste products tend to accumulate in the local tissues. These waste products increase and prolong inflammation, swelling, and pain during the healing phase. LDM improves lymph flow and accelerates the removal of these waste products, and thus speeds up healing.
How Lymphatic Drainage Massage works:
- LDM is a very gentle massage technique that improves the transport of lymph through the tissues.
- LDM uses light pressure and specific progressive strokes that are completely different from the vigorous maneuvers of Swedish massage. Every stroke is very light - no heavier than a coin resting on the skin surface. Excessive pressure is undesirable. Each stroke consists of an active phase and a resting phase. During the active phase, pressure is gradually increased, stimulating the skin in a particular direction. This is followed by a slow, controlled decrease in pressure into the resting phase. Each stroke is directed towards the regional lymph nodes to stimulate appropriate lymphatic flow. Strokes last a few seconds and are repeated five to ten times in each area.
- LDM can be started several days after surgery and the typical patient undergoes several treatment sessions.
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