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Post Op Lymphatic Massage: Verify Your Therapist Is Licensed – And What To Do If They Aren’t

Post Op Lymphatic Massage:
How to Verify Your Therapist Is Licensed –
And What To Do If They Aren’t

What you can do about unlicensed therapists in the post op industry

The prevalence of unlicensed people in the post op recovery industry is rampant – and it is a HUGE RISK to public health.

Massage boards around the country – especially in Florida – are aware of the problem, and for the most part they are doing NOTHING to protect the public.  

Why is nothing being done?

The reason nothing is being done about people operating post op massage businesses illegally is that in order for a massage board or department of health or medical board to act, a formal, signed complaint must be filed.  Simply reporting the activities to these boards via email with links to images on Instagram, Facebook,  or YouTube does not give them what they need to *act*.

Massage therapists who are legitimately licensed dare not file complaints about people who are acting illegally because with social media and google reviews it is almost guaranteed that there will be retaliation against the business of the therapist who complains.

This is why it is imperative that people who have been clients of these illegal operations make the complaints.

If you have been to a person posing as a massage therapist or you have been to a licensed massage therapist who performed illegal acts such as reopening surgical incisions an pushing fluid out of those incisions, PLEASE report the person who did that to you. 

While it is too late to undo the harm that was done to you, it can help the people who come after you.

While you might not really be concerned at first glance about what happens to others, think about how grateful you would have been if someone had stopped that person before they did it to you.

I Want to Report Someone, But I Don’t Know How

Good News!  The links are below!  Read this first for guidance.

There are several places where you can report people, and it depends on the state’s individual laws as to what is the best option.  It may be best to report to all of these agencies regardless to make sure that regulatory agencies understand the widespread nature of the problem. 

Take a few minutes to type up your complaint in a Word document.  Once that is done you can simply copy and paste to all of the agencies.  It only takes a few more minutes.  

Expect for many agencies to blow you off.  We are dealing with bureaucracy, after all.  Be resolute.  Make arguments to them like, “What if this was your mother/daughter/sister who was treated this way?  What would YOU do?  Where would YOU report it?”

For Licensed Massage Therapists Who Perform Illegal Acts Like Incisional Drainage: Report to the Massage Board for sure.  This may be enough, but you might consider for good measure following the additional suggestions for unlicensed people below.

For Unlicensed People Posing as Licensed Massage Therapists:

  • Start by reporting to the Massage Board as some states have laws to prosecute people who claim to hold a license, but that don’t and are illegally claiming to be licensed.
  • Report to the Department of Health as they oversee issues where people are being subjected to illegal practices.  Many Departments of Health only oversee health facilities like nursing homes.  Call or email them your complaint stating that there is a person posing as a health professional performing medical procedures and that you want them to look into it.  
  • Report to the Medical Board because they may work in concert with the Department of Health to ensure that no one is practicing medicine without a license.
  • The State Attorney General – this department is a great option because some states have terrible options for reporting unlicensed people. Usually, it is the job of the Attorney General to prosecute people who commit criminal offenses – especially in business.  They are there to serve as consumer advocates.
  • You might also check with your county and city offices to see if they have a way to report unsafe practices that are a threat to public health.

Many medical boards and health departments may not have a form for this or say that they don’t have jurisdiction over certain people who aren’t medically licensed, but report it anyway.  When enough complaints come in, they will start to take note. 

When reporting to an agency that says they have no jurisdiction over a person who, for example doesn’t hold a license, you need to be explicit in telling them that these people are ‘practicing medicine without a license’ (be sure to use that phrase exactly in your complaint) and that they are a ‘threat to public health.’

List of States and Regulatory Agencies

Alabama


Alaska


Arizona


Arkansas


California


Colorado


Connecticut


Delaware


Florida


Georgia


Hawaii


Idaho


Illinois


Indiana


Iowa


Kansas


Kentucky


Louisiana


Maine


Maryland


Massachusetts


Michigan


Minnesota


Mississippi


Missouri


Montana


Nebraska


Nevada


New Hampshire


New Jersey


New Mexico


New York


North Carolina


North Dakota


Ohio


Oklahoma


Oregon


Pennsylvania


Rhode Island


South Carolina


South Dakota

Tennessee


Texas


Utah


Vermont


Virginia


Washington


West Virginia


Wisconsin


Wyoming

What You NEED to Know about Plastic Surgery in Miami

What You NEED to Know about Plastic Surgery in Miami

Plastic surgery in Miami is all the rage at the present time. People travel from all over the world to get surgery there, but there is a dark side to this industry and there are things you need to know to stay safe.

Many (if not most) Plastic Surgery Centers
Operate Like a Mill

What is meant by this?  Many surgery centers are like a production line – one person passing through right after the other.  There is little (if any) personalization.  Patients are a number, not a human being.

It is rare to receive any form of personalized care.  You get only the most basic answers to questions and you feel like you are part of a machine – everything is impersonal.  Surgery is cheap here because they operate like Walmart making money on volume of customers.

Most Post Op Massages Use Illegal Practices That Could Land You in the Hospital

This is no joke! There is an ILLEGAL practice called “incisional drainage” where fluid in the body is pushed out of incisions.  If the incisions have closed, they are poked open with anything from q-tips to cuticle pushers to razor blades.  Fluid that has accumulated after surgery (or was injected as part of the surgical process) is then forced out by hard squeezing of tissues that have just undergone a very aggressive surgery such as liposuction.

Screenshot of Instagram account showing Incisional Drainage being performed by "The Squeeze Lady"

Screenshot of Instagram account showing Incisional Drainage being performed by "The Squeeze Lady"

This is wrong for several reasons.  In Florida – as in other states – it is illegal for someone who does not possess a medical license to work on a wound.  Even nurses who work on wounds often have special additional training in wound care before working on wounds.  It is ALWAYS in EVERY CASE illegal for a massage therapist to do such work.  Evidence of this is below.  The Squeeze Lady got her license revoked for such actions.

Squeeze Lady loses license over illegal incisional drainage

The full article is available here at the Miami Herald website for a small fee.

Why is this important?  Because when people (with no training and no medical license) work on an open wound – especially when they poke them open, it sets you up for potential infection.  Infections like this can lead to sepsis (a potentially deadly condition).

Many “Massage Therapists” are
Working Without a License

Here’s another very real thing about the massage industry in Miami – there are tons of people who have never been trained in basic anatomy and physiology, sanitation, or technique.  Licenses require basic training in order to ensure public safety.  Florida has done a very poor job at enforcement and you can literally find post-op massage places on every corner in Miami – most of which have people who have no license who will work on you in a very fragile state.

DO YOUR RESEARCH AHEAD OF TIME!  Go to the Florida Department of Health Licensure Verification Page and look up your therapist’s name to ensure that they are indeed licensed and in good standing.  

Many Plastic Surgeons Refer to “Therapists” Who Perform Incisional Drainage Rather Than True Lymphatic Massage

As sad as this may sound, the way that most people end up getting incisional drainage instead of true lymphatic work is because surgeons actually refer their patients to these people.  Believe it or not, doctors on the whole have a very poor understanding of the lymphatic system – only receiving about 30 minutes of training on lymphatics in ALL of med school.  This is not an opinion.  Here’s a research paper by Dr. Stanley Rockson who is a lymphatic specialist who is the one that is bringing this subject to light.

It is not possible to know if these doctors are intentionally sending people to have illegal work done, or if they simply don’t know any better – but mark my words – IT HAPPENS ALL OF THE TIME.  

Patients are told to get “lymphatic massage” which is exactly what the “therapists” call it, but what they are doing is incisional drainage.

So, what is the difference between true lymphatic massage and incisional drainage?  We’ve already established that incisional drainage pushes fluid outside of the body.  True Lymphatic Massage uses the body’s lymphatic system to take up fluid from an area and transport it to the bloodstream where our kidneys then grab it and we pee it out.  Here is a great video that explains true lymphatic work in a very simple way.

True Lymphatic Massage is (somewhat confusingly) properly called “Manual Lymphatic Drainage” – but the drainage they are referring to is all inside the body – not outside.

It Is Common to Only See Your Surgeon for a Few Minutes Before Surgery – and that’s it!

What happens to most people who fly to Miami for surgery is that they deal more with office staff and nurses than the doc.  They get to see their doctor for about 5 minutes to get marked up before surgery – and that’s all she wrote.

After surgery all followup visits whether in person or virtual from back home are done with a nurse – even when serious complications result.  There is very, very rarely another interaction with the person performing your procedure.  And this brings me to another very important point…

Your Doctor May Not Be The Person
Who Performs Your Surgery

Now, this may seem extremely far-fetched if you aren’t familiar with the Miami surgery scene, but hear me out.

It is commonplace for someone to show up to a surgery center early in the morning only to find 40-50 other women (they are usually women) in the waiting area.  There’s not much to do, so they start chatting.

“I’m having surgery with Doctor A,” the first person says.

“Me, too!”

“Me, too!”

“Me, too!”

“Me, too!”

It starts to sound like an echo chamber.  Many of these people are there to get surgery by the same doctor on the same day.  There are about 4 doctors’ names on the door to the surgery center.  There are about 40-50 people waiting for surgery that day.  Most plastic surgeries take 3-5 hours on average to complete.  You do the math.  Something does not add up here.

While it is a completely normal thing for surgeons to have a surgical assistant who is also part of the surgical process, the surgeon should be present throughout the entire operation.  Clearly that can’t be happening.  There are not enough hours in the day.

This phenomenon is called “Ghost Surgeons.” You can read about the phenomenon of Ghost Surgeons here.  

ghost surgeon miami not the surgeon you paid for

Really, I’m Not Trying to Pick on
All Docs and Therapists in Miami

This may sound a little funny, but I am not trying to throw every last doctor and legitimate therapist in Miami under the bus.  There are some perfectly good docs and therapists in Miami.  I know a few.

I’m not saying don’t go to Miami for surgery either.  We all know that Miami is where it is at for BBL’s that look a certain way.  

What I am saying is that all of the things discussed in this post ARE REAL and ARE VERY COMMON.  So, buyer beware.  Watch out.  Look up licenses, ASK QUESTIONS about your massage therapist’s training and technique they intend to use, and ask others on social media what their experience was like with the doc you are thinking of using – before you put down your money.  It is for your own safety.

Also, don’t forget to check out the malpractice claims against the surgeon you want to use.  They don’t post this stuff on their fancy Instagram accounts.  See the current medical malpractice lawsuits against doctors in Miami here. But do you know that surgeons are not required to even carry malpractice insurance?  You can read about Florida plastic surgeons “Going Bare” (choosing not to have malpractice insurance) here.

What They Don’t Tell You About Liposuction

What They Don’t Tell You About Liposuction

lipo ab etching can be more painful than regular liposuction

Plastic surgeons advertise beautiful people with beautiful results. 
That’s what we are all looking for, right?

What they DON’T show you is what an ACTUAL recovery process looks like,
because if they did, they probably would have a lot less business.

The FULL recovery takes a YEAR.

Granted, by 3 months you have a pretty good idea of what your final results will look like, but things don’t quite look right.  The remaining 9 months are where very subtle changes take place that make you look like you are, well, you.  The refinement that transpires in the time after 3 months can’t be seen on a daily basis, but you can see changes from one month to the next.

Also during that time swelling is a real pain.  While the first 3 weeks of swelling are the worst, you will continue to have swelling off and on for up to a year.  At the 3 month mark, it will be minimal when compared to 3 weeks, but that one night at month 5 or 9 when you go out for your best friend’s birthday and grab Mexican food and margaritas will quickly remind you that you aren’t fully healed.  You went out looking like a million bucks in your hot red dress and woke up the next morning feeling like the Goodyear blimp.

In order to get your best results, you are looking at 8 weeks of full time compression wear.

And, after that, you will probably still be wearing it for a while.

Compression garments are a necessary part of liposuction recovery.  Without them, you run the risk of fibrosis (lumps and bumps), swelling that is out of control, and more tenderness and pain than is necessary.

Good compression garments need to provide resistance to fluid accumulation.  That means when you are ready for a stage 2 faja (generally around day 7-10 post lipo), that garment should be fairly stiff.

HEAR THIS:  SPANX IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A COMPRESSION GARMENT!

While the first week or so is spent in a fairly comfortable stretchy spanx-like faja, that will not cut it for the remaining 7 or so weeks of your initial recovery.  The Stage 1 faja is just for support of the tissue and should NOT compress you.  Compression too early can lead to necrosis.  You need to give the body about 7-10 days (assuming a normal recovery) to regrow the blood vessels that were severed during lipo BEFORE you compress.  Strong compression during this first week to ten days can deprive the skin of much needed oxygen and nutrients, so be patient.

You had best budget a significant amount of money for aftercare – probably around $2,000 or so.

Between massages, compression garments, and other miscellaneous stuff like female urinals and the like, you are probably going to be spending a couple thousand more than you thought.

IMHO this is really something surgeons should prepare you for as a necessary cost, but few mention it.
 
Proper post-op care can make ALL the difference in the world in terms of your recovery.  

BEWARE: There are people out there in the post op recovery business who can cause you harm.  Inform yourself before booking with a person advertising post op care.

 
Post op massages (by licensed and properly trained therapists – not people who one day decided to open up a business and watch a few YouTube videos on how to do post op care) cost anywhere from about $100-$175 per hour session.  Expensive?  Maybe.  Worth it?  Definitely!
 
Therapists who have spent a great deal of time and money on legitimate education to ensure that you are receiving safe and scientifically efficacious care usually charge more than a standard massage.  When I say they have spent thousands of dollars on continuing education – that’s usually to the tune of $3,000-$10,000+ (depending on their exact level of qualification), I’m not kidding.  This is NOT a standard massage.  You pay more for their level of expertise and the fact that they will ensure you are receiving the right type of care for your current stage of recovery.
 
Do yourself a favor and check to see that they are properly licensed (not certified!).  Licenses are formal legal recognition that a person has met the state’s minimum qualifications to be deemed a massage therapist.  This can generally be verified on their state’s licensure verification website.  CHECK IT.
 
By contrast, a certification is evidence of a single course taken.  BEWARE that many unlicensed people take courses and advertise themselves as “post-op therapists,” when in actual fact, it is ILLEGAL for them to work on you without a state LICENSE.
 
If you are reading this AFTER you have had a post op session from someone and later find out that instead of true lymphatic drainage (which is ALL internal movement of fluid that is peed out) that you actually got incisional drainage (an ILLEGAL act of pushing fluid outside of the body if done by a massage therapist or person who holds no medical license), please, please please do everyone a favor and report your experience to both the State Board of Massage and the Health Department in that state.  Save others from undergoing painful and dangerous procedures that could land you in the hospital – or 6 feet under if you develop sepsis.

The first few days after surgery are really rough and you will probably regret having had the surgery.

This is a totally expected phenomenon.  Most people have a really hard time during the first 3 days. 

After that, life gets better, but I can almost guarantee you that you will have a thought similar to “What the F*&K have I done to myself?  I could have lived with the way I looked!  It wasn’t worth it!”

By then end of your initial recovery (8 -12 weeks) you will probably be planning a second surgery.

It wasn’t that bad, after all…

People think I’m crazy when I tell them that they will experience a form of amnesia once the major part of the recovery is over.  “How could I possibly forget?!?!?” they ask.  “Oh, you will.” I reply.

Sure enough, towards the end of their massage package, they start talking about other surgeries they are thinking about.