Lymphatic Drainage Massage: Detox the Body, Boost your Energy + Improve your Appearance
It’s nearly impossible to avoid the pollutants in our external environment these days. We drive cars and trucks that run on fossil fuels that make up a significant portion of the air pollution. Planes emit a small amount of pollution as well as buses. Factories, coal-fired power plants, and other industrial facilities contribute to the decline in air quality, too.
Our skin absorbs these external pollutants as they enter the body. Of course, things such as cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol contaminate our insides, too. And did you know some of the food we ingest is contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals that create more work for our bodies? The lotions, deodorants, and things we topically apply to our skin can also seep in and create blockages.
Becoming more aware and curious about what is entering your body is a great starting point for figuring out how to take in less pollution. Detox diets and making healthier habit changes are great ways to help keep the build-up of toxins in our body to a minimum. Since our immune system is constantly working to cycle these elements out, our bodies can get exhausted. If our bodies are constantly doing this work with little balance in time to rest, eventually our bodies will stop functioning properly, age more rapidly, and the chances of developing chronic illness increase.
I’ve heard many people mention the feeling of fatigue, a lack of energy, congested or ‘puffy’ in their face, or are prone to allergies and have a general concern with showing signs of aging. These can be signs that the body is struggling to release toxins in the body. Aging is a result of a lack of collagen - oddly enough, this type of massage helps detox the body and stimulates collagen-producing cells.
THE MAGIC OF MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE
A way to help the body get rid of these toxins quicker is through Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage. This type of bodywork is designed to help the body move toxins that have built up inside of us out of us more rapidly. By manually moving the flow of lymph and blood under the surface of the skin, we can help open up, circulate, and release debris that has gotten stagnant in our systems.
Our circulatory system can only do so much on its own. Our circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood vessels, and blood itself. Our blood produces white blood cells that take care of foreign invaders (toxins). Their job is to find those gremlins and get them out of the body. However, when there is a flood of foreign invaders, the white blood cells aren’t able to catch all of the bad guys. So, the Lymphatic System (which is part of your immune system), jumps in to help the circulatory system capture these invaders.
The Lymphatic System is made up of lymph (fluid), lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and a few organs (tonsils, spleen, thymus gland, bone marrow, and tissue in the small intestine). The Lymphatic System is a uni-directional system, which means that it takes debris in, and then it stays there, really. The circulatory system has the ability to take things in and circulate them back out, but not the lymphatic system. This is why sometimes we look and feel puffiness because our lymph nodes are experiencing overload and need help releasing the toxins they have helped filter out of the blood.
There are certain areas in the body where lymph nodes cluster: the groin (inguinal nodes), armpits (axillary nodes), and neck (cervical nodes). We wear bras and underwear which restrict the flow in these areas of the body. When we have illness coming on sometimes we can feel the lymph nodes in our neck are swollen. To help the nodes from reaching the point of swell, we can do simple massage techniques to assist the toxin build-up to release back into the blood to be filtered out again. You can also schedule a Lymphatic Drainage Massage to help with this!
WHAT IS A LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE?
Typically, a Swedish, Relaxation or Deep Tissue Massage aims to release muscle tension and tightness. A Lymphatic Massage aims to release lymph fluid (and white blood cells) throughout the lymphatic vessels. You may feel the ‘flush’ take place as it is happening, but it will feel very different from your standard massage.
This type of bodywork is gentle. There is a specific direction that lymph moves through the vessels and nodes that capture the debris. During this type of massage, we follow this flow ‘backward’ in small circular motions to assist the nodes in opening up while moving lymph fluid along the vessels toward the heart. The lymphatic system relies on diet, exercise, muscle contraction, and deep breathing to cleanse and clear out itself. Physical manipulation (Lymphatic Drainage Massage) helps to speed up this detoxification process. You can physically manipulate the lymphatic system on your own with gentle massage techniques or schedule a series of sessions with a professionally trained massage therapist to feel the effects more rapidly. Either way, performing these techniques several times over the course of a few weeks to a few months is what keeps the lymph system cleared out in the long run.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING A SESSION?
The therapist will work the abdominal area, armpit area, around the breast, neck, face, and other areas along the arms, legs, and back. Digestive Massage is integrated into our sessions while we work the abdominal area since many blockages occur here, too. The abdominal area is the space we hold onto unresolved feelings, fear, anger, and chronic stress. As a result, discomfort can be associated with digestive complications, uneasiness, anxiety, IBS, depression, lack of appetite, and hormonal imbalance. Lymphatic Drainage Massage assists with the flow of progesterone, which helps balance estrogen levels in females’ bodies.
The therapist works the armpit area and breast tissue in a comfortable, non-invasive way. It has been noted that patients who developed breast cancer had first detected the blockage in the axillary nodes. As stated earlier, since bras, tops, and deodorant typically constrict our armpits, these nodes struggle to experience release.
The neck and face are given attention during this session too since nodes that are clogged in the neck can cause puffiness and swelling in the face.
After your massage, you may feel a little tired, super relaxed, or a little out of sorts as the toxins have been cleared from specific areas that needed clearing. For some, you may experience lightness, energy, and a sense of ease. You may also be able to see an immediate difference in puffiness as the body has moved lymph fluid and water retention out of parts of the body. You may use the restroom more frequently (which is the body's way of flushing things out.) People have noted looking thinner, too! Lymphatic drainage has the effect of contouring and sculpting as it releases excessive fluid. We integrate the use of Cupping Therapy with a MediCupping™ Machine, which acts as a vacuum to pull up cellular waste from the tissue layers and help these things flow more rapidly while leaving the skin with a little more elasticity and vibrancy.
After surgery, cosmetic surgery, in particular, a series of Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massages are recommended so that congestion does not occur within the tissue layers. Surgeries like Abdominoplasty (tummy-tuck), Brazilian Butt Lift, Liposuction, Arms, Legs, Thighs, or Face Lifts, disrupt the lymphatic channels. It can take up to three months for those channels to make new connections. When the lymphatic channels are congested, infection is a higher risk and healing complications can occur due to the tissue swelling. This bodywork helps with post-surgery recovery by cutting recovery time down quite a bit. It also improves surgical results.
THE BENEFITS OF THIS TREATMENT INCLUDE:
Post-surgery recovery to promote healing
Scar tissue repair
Boosting the immune system
Detoxifying the body
Energizing the body + releasing stored emotions
Decreasing cellulite
Decreasing puffiness in the face
Increase Mobility
Diminishing headaches or migraines
Improving sinus functioning
Increasing digestion + internal organ functioning
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GET A LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE?
Frequency is determined based on lifestyle, goals, focus areas, and what the therapist recommends.
If you are a fairly active person who exercises pretty regularly and maintains good healthy practices, you will benefit from treatment once per month to every four months. This helps keep your immune system strong and ready to take on any physical challenges.
If you live a more sedentary lifestyle, experience frequent digestive issues, often feel head pressure or fatigued, get sick easily, or experience hormonal imbalance often, you will benefit from treatment one to two times a week for 4 - 6 weeks. This can vary depending on how the body responds to treatment.
You SHOULD NOT receive Lymphatic Drainage Massage if you:
Are prone to blood clots or stroke
Have congestive heart failure
Have Liver or Kidney Problems
Have a current infection.
For weight loss, reducing solid bloat, cellulite, and body contouring:
A series of four to six sessions is recommended over four to six weeks and then transition to quarterly. This allows your body to recharge and helps your lymphatic system to work through built-up toxins without putting the body on overdrive.
Often when people lose a lot of weight over a period of time, they may reach a plateau. This is not necessarily because they need to exercise more or eat less, rather it can be due to a blockage in the lymphatic system. In this case, a person should schedule a series of sessions (at least 4) and continue treatment until they notice a change in metabolism.
For Post-surgery recovery + Scar tissue repair:
It is recommended to have a series of 2-3 Lymphatic Drainage Massages every week for four to six weeks beginning 1-3 days after your surgical procedure. The therapist or doctor may recommend you start with 2-3 treatments the first week or two and move towards fewer treatments each week following for up to 4 months.
To boost the immune system, detoxify the body or balance hormones:
Depending on your lifestyle, four 60-90-minute sessions are what we recommend. However, if you receive four sessions of lymphatic massage and continue to choose lifestyle habits that do not support your detoxification, it might not be as beneficial as it could be for you. It is recommended to incorporate healthier food sources and daily exercise while receiving treatment to aid the body in detoxing. Then, continue receiving lymphatic drainage massage once a month to every 3-4 months.
For headache relief or to improve sinus function:
Depending on the time of year and your body, you may want one treatment per week for four weeks or two treatment sessions per week for four weeks (Facial Rejuvenation Treatment). During seasonal shifts, you may want to schedule two treatments during the first week.
Having one or two lymphatic drainage sessions every 3-4 months throughout the year is beneficial if you experience a high frequency of common colds, allergies, congestion, or headaches to continue keeping the lymphatic system clear.
To decrease puffiness in the face + Improve appearance:
If your goal is to improve your appearance, reduce fine lines, boost collagen, hydrate, and look firmer, book a 45-minute Facial Rejuvenation Treatment. If you have a special occasion coming up and want radiant skin, schedule 2-4 of these 45-minute sessions over a span of 2-4 weeks leading up to your big event. Your skin will have a glow for weeks following your appointment!
Check out our blog post about MediCupping™ therapy if you’re interested in lymphatic drainage work as our therapist incorporates this nifty tool in your sessions!
