Supportive Care for Surgery Recovery

Sessions typically begin within the first few days after surgery, depending on your procedure and surgeon's clearance, and continue every other day for the first three weeks. 60-minute sessions are usually a good fit for a single-area procedure; 90-minute sessions allow time for the careful positioning that combined procedures or fat-grafting (BBL, lipo 360, tummy tuck, mommy makeover) require. If you're not sure which length fits your procedure, reach out ahead of time and we can figure it out together, especially if you already have a surgery date: availability is limited, and booking early helps make sure your sessions land on schedule.

You'll find real variation in post-surgical MLD guidance depending on which practitioner or training program you ask. Most protocols recommend at least 7 to 8 sessions in the first three weeks after surgery for the fullest physical recovery support, which is what the 7-Session Series is built to cover for a smaller, single-area procedure. That said, don't let a smaller number hold you back if that's what fits your budget or schedule, even a single session can be genuinely worthwhile, especially for how it helps you feel calmer and cared for during recovery. The standard recommendation, and the one the 10-Session Series is built around, is 10 sessions: starting within the first few days post-op, depending on your procedure, and continuing every other day through those first three weeks. Some training programs, including the Academy of Lymphatic Studies, recommend a more intensive protocol of up to 14 sessions in that same window, usually front-loaded with near-daily care in the first week. If you or your surgeon want that higher level of support, individual sessions can be added to the 10-Series to reach it. For combined or multiple procedures (BBL, lipo 360, tummy tuck, mommy makeover), stacking the 10-Session Series with the 7-Session Series gives you 17 sessions total, extra coverage during the acute phase plus a running start into longer-term care. Recovery doesn't stop at three weeks, either: continued support spaced out over the following months, and up to a year after surgery, helps manage lingering swelling, fibrosis, and scar tissue. That phase is much less frequent, roughly every one to a few weeks, and periodic single sessions are usually the best fit for it, since the pace is loose rather than a fixed series. Feel free to reach out ahead of time if you'd like help figuring out the right combination for your procedure, there's plenty of room to adjust as recovery progresses.