The Scar Spa
What is Scar Therapy?
Decades ago, the way of dealing with scars and adhesion's was generally one of ‘knuckling’, i.e. breaking down the rigid, unresponsive tissues with the knuckles. Although some relief could be obtained in that way, it was painful. Scar Therapy is a gentle treatment that listens to the body’s pain alerts and adapt pressure to maintain client comfort. The touch is light, responsive and non-intrusive and has been known to help with a variety of scars, not just their appearance but their underlying effects on the body.
Adhesion's stick structures together that would normally glide past each other; this can cause functionality problems and affect posture and energy level, among other symptoms. With Scar Therapy, the aim is to soften and change the scar tissue; the light touch approach has been shown by research to create changes at cellular level and this enables deep change in the tissues to take place.
I will assess how the scars and adhesion's are affecting your posture and gait, then work not just on the scar but on the surrounding area.
What is LymphaTouch?
LymphaTouch is a medical device which produces a negative pressure, or vacuum, on the skin to stimulate lymphatic drainage and treat scars.
Controlling the negative pressure allows me to work with your body to help remove excess fluid from the tissues and improve healing and overall health and well-being.
How does LT work?
On the Lymphatic system:
The system drains and removes excess fluid from the tissues. Think of it as a waste removal system - where your blood system delivers the goodness, the lymphatics take out the badness! Unlike the blood system, the lymphatics don’t have a natural pump, like the heart, meaning flow can stall and swelling can develop.
To re-start or stimulate lymphatic flow, LymphaTouch gently lifts the skin. This creates a negative pressure under the skin causing the lymphatic vessels to dilate (open up) making it easier for the system to take in the excess fluid. Think of it like the plug in a sink – LymphaTouch simply makes the plug bigger.
By dilating the lymphatic vessels, more fluid can enter the system which increases the flow and therefore reduces the swelling or excess fluid in the area.
On Scars:
After injury or surgery, we will get a scar. They come in many shapes and sizes and can present with different problems, from being tight and restrictive, to being visibly displeasing.
LymphaTouch helps by improving how a scar heals. By providing a light suction, this encourages more blood and lymphatic flow, which is what our body needs to help the healing process.
LymphaTouch can also help those tight, restrictive scars. We often see scars adhering/sticking down. By controlling the negative pressure from LymphaTouch, we can gently lift and release the scar tissue. Often once we see an improvement in blood flow and scar movement, the appearance improves too.
What can you expect during treatment?
LymphaTouch is a comfortable treatment. The device has an applicator, known as the treatment head, which has a cup inserted which is placed onto the skin. Once applied, you will feel the skin being lifted. This will feel different depending on what pressures we use.
You will be asked to remove clothing, where necessary, to expose the skin as the device needs to be directly applied:
There are 3 settings which you may experience.
Pulsation = lift and release of the selected negative pressure
Continuous = lift and hold of the selected negative pressure
Mechanical Vibration = function to shake and stimulate the cells in the tissue
Treatment should not be painful and is often very relaxing. If you are having a scar treatment, you may experience some discomfort caused by pulling the tissues up but should not be painful.
Benefits
· Improved lymphatic function
· Healthier skin and tissue appearance
· Drainage of waste products/toxins
· Reduced oedema
· Improved function of scars
How many treatment sessions are needed?
Depending on what you are coming to have LymphaTouch for, the number of sessions may vary from 1 session to multiple over several weeks.
The treatment is safe and is classed as a manual therapy, so there is little restriction on how often you can have this treatment. Although it is advised that there is a 3-day rest between each treatment.
For a general lymphatic clearance, often once a month is advised to keep the system healthy and tissues clear.
For treatment on swollen areas, such as periorbital oedema, you will need a course of 1-2 sessions per week for approximately 4-6 weeks.
This is similar for scarring
Are there any side effects/down time?
It is advised there is 3 days rest between treatments. The following side-effects that have been noted are related to dehydration. This is because as well as processing fluid in your system that shouldn’t be there, we inevitably activate the full system and drain some fluid that should be there which does need to be replenished.
Side effects that have been noted are:
- Headaches/light headedness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Tiredness
- Dry-mouth
- Tissue redness/blotchiness
To avoid these, it is advised following a treatment to consume 2 litres of water in 24 hours following treatment to ensure you are kept hydrated.
Other side effects:
- Discomfort following scar treatment
- Bruising – if the pressures applied have been too high
