Category: Cosmetic Surgery

What is it exactly?

As implied by its name, Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) works in conjunction with the lymphatic system. This is a system of vessels that removes proteins, excess fluid, viruses, and bacteria. This type of massage aids in the waste removal at a cellular level and helps bring nutrients and oxygen to the cells. You can imagine why this treatment is so valuable for someone who has just had an operation! Between the anesthesia, swelling, bruising, and tightness, this massage will encourage the lymph to move 8-10 times faster than it would on its own.

Is it painful?

In short, the answer is no.  When people hear the word “massage”, they often think of deep tissue work. For clients who have just had plastic surgery, the last thing they imagine that they want to have is a massage on their swollen, sensitive and often bruised bodies. However, MLD is pain-free, offers tremendous healing benefits, and believe it or not, it is actually quite relaxing.

How it promotes healing

Since the majority of the lymph system sits right below the skin, the pressure used in this special massage technique is extremely light. By using this light pressure in a rhythmic, circular motion, the therapist can stimulate the lymphatic system to work more efficiently and help it move the fluids back to the heart. As a result, swelling is reduced, toxins are released, and the body has an opportunity to heal more quickly. 

One of the most frequently asked questions in our practice is, “what will my scars look like?” And “what can I do to improve my scar?”  And now we have an answer from Stanford University’s Plastic Surgeons, Geoffrey Gurtner, and Michael Longaker.  The most recent major advance in scar therapy is called “Embrace Advanced Scar Therapy.

Embrace scar therapy is a new revolutionary product that uses patented Active Stress-Shielding technology to relieve tension on the scar to reduce the formation of scar tissue.

The device works by unloading the tension across a scar which can contribute to “overzealous” scar formation (know as hypertrophic scarring). For it to work, it needs to be applied once the incision is healed (approximately 2 weeks after surgery), and used continuously during the active component of scar healing (6 to 8 weeks).   Embrace is applied to the healed incision, approximately 2 weeks after surgery.  Each piece of Embrace will stay in place for 7-10 days and then need to be reapplied.  The treatment lasts 8 weeks.  Click on the link to see how it works.

Being a new product, we do realize the added expense to your surgery. We recommend Embrace for anyone who forms Keloid or hypertrophic scarring and for procedures such as tummy tucks where a scar is a concern.

For more information on the revolutionary product, visit embracescartherapy.com or contact us and we’d be happy to answer any questions.