Lymph flows from the periphery of the limbs to their center. When this path is interrupted, the lymph falls back due to the action of gravity, flooding the foot tissues and causing swelling. The lymph drainage helps lymph to complete its route, making it the treatment of choice. In 3-4 weeks, the problem is improved. If it’s chronic, the doctor will decide the ideal frequency of the massage.

It works best in earlier stages. The ideal case is to start the treatment during the teenage years. Cellulite appears when the fat deposits compress the lymph vessels, reducing the lymph flow. If the intervention is not rapid, the tissue fills with liquids and toxins and the fat deposits tend to turn harder, producing the “orange peel skin”. When the cellulite is on its incipient stages, it is easy to activate the flow of the accumulated waste and definitively solve the issue. Normally, just three months are enough to get satisfactory results.

The drainage is very effective in both cases but as a preventive method. The hormonal changes during pregnancy determine liquid retention and a decrease in the tonus of the vein and lymph vessels. The drainage can be started from the third month of pregnancy, up until the delivery. It is also effective against the swelling experienced by many women a few days before their menstruation. In this case, the massage is made immediately after the end of the cycle for a week.

If during the scarring process of a wound interstitial liquid accumulates forming an edema, a hypertrophic (cheloid, swollen) scar forms. The lymph draining has a “planning” effect on the scar, it is even effective on older scars because it activates the lymphocytes, which are involved in reconstructing the tissue.