Please see this 48-year-old female patient who received five lymphatic massages after 360 VASER liposuction.
Infrequently, patients insist that they don’t need to have lymphatic massages after VASER liposuction. Lymphatic massages are performed daily or every other day for approximately 8 to 10 days, depending on whether the patients are local or from out of town; more frequent lymphatic drainage massages will also promote the elimination of excess fluid from the retained fat cells, thus expediting their recovery period. The out-of-town patients desire to get back home and thus are provided a more aggressive daily massage to reduce their recovery times.
When Do I Need Lymphatic Massage After VASER Liposuction
The reason for the lymphatic massage is that VASER liposuction utilizes ultrasound energy to melt the fat. The advantage of melting the fat before suctioning it are multi-fold and include: being able to remove 50 % more fat than other techniques, avoiding contour irregularities (since the fat is liquified and cannot form any valleys and peaks or divots and bumps), achieving transformative results (since high definition liposuction allows for sculpting the body and attain ideal buttocks shape.
Ideal buttocks shape is achieved by performing a Brazilian Buttock Lift (BBL) with a fat transfer that is harvested using VASER technology. VASER technology provides several advantages to patients seeking BBLs.
First, it allows for harvesting more fat that may be limited in patients with low body fat. Second, the fat harvested is over 90 % viable, in contrast to traditional fat harvesting techniques that provide only 60% viability.
So why is lymphatic massage so important following VASER liposuction? It is because 10% of melted fat that is not removed will act like a liquid and accumulate in the most dependent position. For example, if you perform abdominal liposuction, the liquified fat will pool over the pubic region.
In contrast, if you perform back liposuction, the liquified fat will accumulate over the lower back and upper buttocks region. The lymphatic massage is intended to remove the pooling of liquid fat so that irregularities are not created. In addition, the lymphatic massage will help keep gulleys clear of fat accumulation to avoid effacing high-definition contours created, for example, over the abdomen.
When does the pooling of liquid fat end, and when can you stop the lymphatic massages? Approximately 8 to 10 days after the fat’s melting, the fat goes from liquid to a solid form, and pooling will end. This is why lymphatic massages are performed for a minimum of 8 to 10 days. A few patients choose to continue lymphatic massages for up to 1 month.
Having additional massages also helps to desensitize the sensory nerves traumatized by surgery. Desensitization of nerves will make you feel less stiff and help you return to your normal daily physical activity.
