66
It was about six months ago when Dr. Ryan Neinstein noticed
an unexpected uptick in the number of patients making
appointments—not for the usual nips and tucks but rather for
prods and pulls. They were requesting lymphatic drainage mas-
sage, a procedure the Manhattan liposuction specialist nor-
mally offers to patients recovering from invasive procedures. It
eases postoperative swelling by coaxing fluid out of soft tissues.
“These were people we’ve never operated on request-
ing our masseuses to work on them,” he says. The jump in
new patients was caused by a simple thesis: Lymphatic drain-
age massages could work as a slimming shortcut—a cosmetic
upgrade that doesn’t require a single incision. As it wicks away
some of the water in your tissue, a lymphatic facial can sharpen
your cheekbones and a full-body treatment can help you drop
5 or 6 pounds almost overnight.
Neinstein’s new patients have celebrity role models. Cate
Blanchett, Kris Jenner, and the Duchess of Sussex all have
used lymphatic drainage for a cosmetic boost, if we believe
their facialists’ interviews and social media accounts. When
Kim Kardashian West and Eva Chen, Instagram’s director
of fashion partnerships, wanted to tone their body for the
pink carpet at the Met Gala in May, they opted for the treat-
ment. Scroll through the social media feed or stories of any PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BEN GILES; PHOTOS: GETTY (2)WELLNESS Bloomberg P ursuits August 19, 2019celebutante—think Hailey Rhode Bieber (née Baldwin), Selena
Gomez, or Shay Mitchell—and you’ll likely find them gushing
about the instant, Insta-friendly effect.
How does it work? The body can hold as much as 1.3 gallons
of unneeded water in the soft tissues, Neinstein says. He likens
that liquid to “a pool at the side of the road, stagnant and not
serving any purpose.” A professional drainage will prompt the
lymph system to release that water. It tidies up the body, like a
biological janitor, and purges that liquid through the skin and
the urinary system. Now slightly dessicated, the patient will
be visibly slimmer. Neinstein compares it to waking up hung
over, but without the headache. “Bodies look slimmer and
tighter because the dehydration rids the body of excess water.”
Neinstein is unusual in offering such a process from his
swanky Upper East Side office, as most such magic workers
in the U.S. operate under the radar. (In London, counterpart
Nichola Joss focuses on lymphatic facials.) Many masseuses
draw clients via social media, especially Instagram. Two of
the most respected are Camila Perez (@camilaperez.mt), who
calls her process “high definition massage,” and Flávia Lanini
(@flavialanini), who claims to have created the “massage
effect.” They list their WhatsApp numbers for appointments
and visit clients where they live. (Lanini says she’s opening a
studio in New York, but there’s no confirmed date.)
Perez and Lanini, like many practitioners, are originally
from Latin America. The technique was finessed as a slimming
treatment in the numerous plastic surgery offices of such cities
as Bogotá and São Paulo. It’s no crackpot New Age conceit; the
medical bona fides of lymphatic drainage date back almost a
century. In the 1930s, Danish doctor Emil Vodder championed
its benefits, such as reduced swelling and improved circula-
tion. Indeed, credentials from his namesake school in Austria
or its satellite campus in Canada are the sole assurance that any
Instagrammer offering such treatments is qualified.
At Neinstein’s office, where a one-hour session costs $300,
the treatment is surprisingly painless, at least when carried out
by his on-staff masseuse. Unlike Swedish or deep-tissue mas-
sage, it’s aimed at the small blood vessels and soft tissue right
below the skin’s surface. After an ultrasound to the abdomen
to prep the soft tissue, the masseuse begins kneading the mus-
cles. It feels as though she’s trying to make bread, either on or
perhaps with your belly fat. Then she works the whole body
in firm, clenching motions, grabbing me by the scruff of the
neck the way an old man might greet his grandson. The only
awkward moment is when she reaches in to press key points
on the groin and murmurs a smiling apology.
The next day my pants feel looser and my six-pack-less
stomach looks somewhat flatter. But that could be an effect of
the power of suggestion—and hope.
Patients are clearly convinced, though. Irani Makimoto-
Domino of New York’s IMD Beauty Spa has added five more
rooms for treatments in the past 12 months. Neinstein antic-
ipates that his business will grow as well—so much so that
he’s planning to build a permanent lymphatic massage salon
attached to his practice when he expands later this year. <BW>A soothing massage procedure has
become a hit among the Instagram
set for its rapid, slimming side effect
By Mark EllwoodSqueezing Off
The Weight