Detox & Lymphatic Massage

Do I need to do anything before a lymphatic massage?

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You don't need to do anything special, just show up as you normally would for a massage.

 

The only small things would be to be normally hydrated and perhaps avoid a really heavy meal just before your treatment.

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You don't need to do any special preparation beforehand.

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And maybe have comfortable clothes or robe to change into after your massage.

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If there's a particular reason you've chosen lymphatic massage, just have a chat with us when you book. That way we can tailor your treatment to what you're looking for.

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Does lymphatic drainage massage hurt?

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Not at all! In fact, one of the things that surprises people most about lymphatic drainage massage is just how gentle it is.

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If you're used to remedial or deep tissue massage, where there can sometimes be a bit of “ooh yes, that's the spot” involved, lymphatic massage feels completely different. We're not digging into tight muscles, working on knots or trying to get our elbows anywhere near you.

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Many of the tiny lymphatic vessels we're working with sit quite close to the surface of the skin, so we don't need lots of pressure to reach them.

 

Instead, lymphatic drainage uses very light, slow and rhythmic movements that gently stretch and release the skin.

And this is one of those rare occasions in massage where more pressure definitely doesn't mean a better treatment. The lightness is actually part of the technique.

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You'll also notice that the movements can be quite repetitive. There's a reason for that too.

 

We work in particular directions and sequences, following the pathways of the lymphatic system rather than searching around for sore muscles and knots.

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If an area is already tender or swollen, or you've recently had surgery or an injury, it may naturally be more sensitive, so that's something we'd want to know about beforehand.

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But for most people, the surprise isn't that lymphatic drainage hurts — it's how ridiculously relaxing such a light massage can be.

It's one of those treatments where you can find yourself thinking, “She's barely touching me... so why am I falling asleep?”

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Does lymphatic massage cause weight loss or burn fat?

 

Wouldn't that be nice! Imagine lying on a massage table for an hour and getting up having burned off a week's worth of desserts.

Unfortunately, lymphatic massage doesn't work quite like that.

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Lymphatic drainage massage doesn't burn body fat, and it isn't a weight-loss treatment. What it can influence is fluid movement, and that's where some of the confusion comes from.

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Your body is constantly moving fluid between your bloodstream, tissues and lymphatic system. If you're temporarily holding onto extra fluid, encouraging lymphatic flow may leave you feeling less puffy or a little lighter afterwards. You may even notice a temporary difference on the scales if your fluid levels change.

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But that's fluid, not fat.

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Losing body fat requires your body to use more energy than you're taking in over time. Massage — lymphatic or otherwise — can't physically massage fat cells away or turn them into lymph to be drained from the body.

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This is also why some of those dramatic lymphatic massage before-and-after photos you see online can be a little misleading. A temporary change in fluid, puffiness or even the way someone is standing can make the body look different, but it doesn't mean body fat has disappeared.

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So you may come away from your lymphatic massage feeling lighter, less puffy and beautifully relaxed.

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But sadly, we'll have to leave the actual fat burning to your body.

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Where does all the fluid actually go after lymphatic massage?

 

It has to go somewhere, right? When we talk about “moving lymph”, it sounds a little like we're just shuffling fluid from one part of your body to another. Thankfully, your lymphatic system is much cleverer than that.

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Running throughout your body is an enormous network of tiny lymphatic vessels. One of their jobs is to collect excess fluid, proteins and other substances from the spaces around your cells. Once that fluid enters the lymphatic system, we call it lymph.

From there, lymph begins its journey through a network of vessels and lymph nodes, gradually making its way back towards your bloodstream.

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And this is where your body's normal systems take over. Once the fluid has returned to your circulation, your kidneys, liver, lungs and digestive system continue doing the jobs they're designed to do.

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So when we're encouraging lymphatic flow during a massage, we're not trying to push fluid directly towards your kidneys or somehow squeeze mysterious “toxins” out through your skin. We're gently encouraging fluid along the lymphatic pathways your body already uses every day.

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It's actually quite an amazing little transport system — quietly collecting, filtering and returning fluid all day long while most of us remain completely oblivious to it.

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Why does lymphatic massage start somewhere completely different from where I'm puffy?

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This can seem a little odd the first time you have lymphatic massage.

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You might be thinking, “It's my legs I'm worried about — why are you working up there?”

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Manual Lymphatic Drainage follows the pathways of the lymphatic system, so we don't necessarily begin by repeatedly massaging the spot that feels puffy.

 

We generally work in a particular sequence, beginning closer to the areas where lymph eventually drains before moving further along the pathway.

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A simple way to picture it is making room further along before encouraging more fluid in that direction.

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That's one of the things that makes lymphatic massage quite different from a normal massage. We're not just concentrating on the place that feels uncomfortable — we're thinking about where that area fits into the lymphatic system as a whole.

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Why do you massage around my neck when I'm having lymphatic massage?

 

It can seem a little strange. You've come in wanting lymphatic massage on your legs or tummy and suddenly we're working around your neck and collarbones. We haven't forgotten which bit you wanted treated!

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There's actually a very good reason we're up there.

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Your lymphatic system is one big connected network, and lymph from around your body eventually needs to make its way back into your bloodstream. It does this through major lymphatic ducts that empty into large veins around the base of your neck, near your collarbones.

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That's why the neck and collarbone area can be an important part of lymphatic massage, even when it's nowhere near the part of your body you're particularly interested in.

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With Manual Lymphatic Drainage, we also tend to work in a particular order, preparing areas closer to where lymph ultimately drains before working further away. So rather than simply starting at the puffy bit and pushing away at it, we're thinking about the pathway that fluid needs to follow.

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Once you realise we're working with one enormous interconnected drainage system, rather than treating your legs, tummy, arms and face as completely separate bits, all that seemingly unrelated neck work starts to make much more sense.

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Do lymph nodes really get “blocked”?

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You'll often hear people talking about “blocked lymph nodes”, especially when they're feeling a bit puffy or swollen. It's an easy way to picture it, but the lymphatic system is a little more complicated than a series of pipes that simply get blocked.

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Lymph nodes are small structures found along your lymphatic vessels. As lymph travels through them, they're busy filtering the lymph and playing their part in your immune system.

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Sometimes lymph doesn't move as easily as it normally would. This can happen for all sorts of reasons, and in some circumstances the lymphatic system itself may have been affected — for example, when lymph nodes or vessels have been removed or damaged.

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But that slightly puffy feeling we all get from time to time doesn't necessarily mean there's a lymph node somewhere with a little traffic jam behind it.

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And if swelling is new, persistent or just doesn't seem quite right, it's always worth finding out what's behind it. Once you know what's going on, it's much easier to work out whether lymphatic massage is something that might be suitable.

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How often should I have lymphatic massage?

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This is one of those questions where the slightly annoying answer is “it depends” — but it really does.

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If you're having lymphatic massage simply because you enjoy the treatment, feel a little puffy from time to time or love how relaxed you feel afterwards, there's no magic number of sessions you need to have. Some people enjoy one occasionally, while others like to make it a regular treatment every few weeks.

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If you're having Manual Lymphatic Drainage for a specific reason, the schedule can look quite different.

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For someone with diagnosed lymphoedema, for example, MLD may form part of a broader treatment program that can initially be quite intensive. It may involve several treatments over a relatively short period alongside things such as compression, exercise and skin care, rather than simply having the occasional massage.

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We have one regular client, Gino, who is in an aged care facility, and has manual lymphatic drainage on his ankles and legs every couple of weeks. Because he is quite sedentary now, the fluid tends to build up in these areas, and the regular lymphatic massage helps with this.

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After cosmetic surgery is different again. How soon lymphatic drainage is appropriate, how frequently it's performed and how long it's continued can depend on the procedure, how you're healing and your surgeon's or treating practitioner's recommendations.

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So we're definitely not going to tell everyone they “need six lymphatic massages” simply because that's a nice package to sell.

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Sometimes one lovely treatment is exactly what you wanted. Sometimes regular treatments suit you. And when MLD is being used as part of managing a medical or post-surgical situation, the frequency should be based on what's actually appropriate for you.

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In other words, with lymphatic massage, more isn't automatically better — there's just a right amount for the reason you're having it.

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Who actually needs or benefits from lymphatic massage?

 

Here's the interesting bit — if you're healthy, your lymphatic system generally doesn't need us to make it work. It's already quietly getting on with the job all day long.

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Unlike your bloodstream, the lymphatic system doesn't have a heart pumping everything around. Instead, lymph movement is helped along by very ordinary things like walking, moving your muscles, breathing and the natural contractions of the lymphatic vessels themselves. So every time you get up and wander around, your body is already helping things along.

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Manual Lymphatic Drainage becomes particularly useful when that normal system has been disrupted or isn't coping as well as it usually would.

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One of the best-known examples is lymphoedema, where lymphatic fluid accumulates in the tissues and causes swelling. This can sometimes happen after cancer treatment when lymph nodes have been removed or damaged. MLD may then be used as one part of a broader lymphoedema management program.

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It's also used in the management of lipoedema, and lymphatic drainage is sometimes recommended following certain surgical or cosmetic procedures to help manage post-operative swelling. In those situations, there's usually a much more specific reason for the treatment — and often a treatment plan to go with it.

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But plenty of perfectly healthy people enjoy lymphatic massage too.

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You don't need to have lymphoedema or be recovering from surgery to enjoy a very gentle, slow, rhythmic massage. Some people choose it when they're feeling temporarily puffy, some love having the gentle techniques around their face and neck, and others simply discover that they prefer it to a firmer style of massage.

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So do healthy people need lymphatic drainage massage?

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Probably not.

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Can they enjoy it anyway? Absolutely.

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Sometimes you don't need a complicated reason to have a massage — liking how it feels is a perfectly good one.

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Are there any immediate side effects after lymphatic massage?

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You might notice a few little changes afterwards — although plenty of people simply feel very relaxed and ready for a nap.

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One of the things people commonly mention is needing to wee a little more often. Lymphatic massage encourages the movement of fluid through the lymphatic system and back towards the circulation, and your kidneys continue doing their normal job of regulating and removing excess fluid from the body.

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Some people also feel a little tired or washed out afterwards, particularly after a longer treatment. That's not necessarily a sign that anything dramatic is happening — lying still for an hour or two while someone gives you a very slow, relaxing massage can make you sleepy all by itself.

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Occasionally people report a mild headache or feeling a little “off” afterwards too. There are lots of possible reasons for that, including dehydration, not having eaten for a while, or simply getting up after being deeply relaxed, so we wouldn't automatically put it down to “toxins leaving the body.”

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Most importantly, you don't actually have to feel anything afterwards for lymphatic massage to have been worthwhile. You don't need to wee ten times, develop a headache or feel exhausted as proof that something has happened.

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Sometimes the only side effect is thinking, “I could quite happily stay on this table for another hour.”

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Is there anything I should avoid after lymphatic massage?

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Thankfully, there's no enormous list of rules to remember after your massage.

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For most healthy people having a gentle lymphatic treatment, you can simply carry on with your day. Have some water when you're thirsty, eat normally and give yourself a little time to enjoy that wonderfully relaxed feeling if you can.

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You don't need to force down litres of water to “flush everything out”. Normal hydration is perfectly fine. Your kidneys are very good at regulating fluid without us turning the afternoon into a water-drinking competition.

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And while you don't necessarily have to avoid exercise, alcohol, hot baths or saunas for exactly 24 hours after an ordinary lymphatic massage, you may simply feel better taking things gently for the rest of the day, particularly after a long treatment.

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If your MLD is connected with surgery, lymphoedema or another medical reason, that's a little different. In that case, any specific aftercare instructions from your surgeon, lymphoedema practitioner or other treating professional are more important than generic massage aftercare advice.

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Otherwise, there's really no complicated homework.

 

Does lymphatic massage get rid of cellulite?

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If only it were quite that easy!

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Lymphatic massage can sometimes make an area look temporarily smoother, particularly if fluid retention or puffiness is contributing to how the skin looks.

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But cellulite itself isn't simply fluid sitting underneath the skin waiting for us to massage it away.

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The familiar dimpling happens because of the relationship between fat cells, connective tissue and the skin above them. Lymphatic massage doesn't remove those fat cells or permanently change the fibrous connective tissue responsible for cellulite's appearance.

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That's why you can occasionally see quite impressive-looking before-and-after photographs following lymphatic or body-contouring treatments. Some of that visible difference may be related to temporary changes in fluid and swelling, rather than cellulite or body fat actually disappearing.

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So could your skin look a little smoother or less puffy afterwards? Possibly.

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Will we promise to massage your cellulite away forever? Sadly, no — if we'd worked out how to do that, we'd probably be famous by now.

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