Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-08-19)

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It wasaboutsixmonthsagowhenDr.RyanNeinsteinnoticed

anunexpecteduptickinthenumberofpatientsmaking

appointments—notfortheusualnipsandtucksbutratherfor

prodsandpulls.Theywererequestinglymphaticdrainagemas-

sage,a proceduretheManhattanliposuctionspecialistnor-

mallyofferstopatientsrecoveringfrominvasiveprocedures.It

easespostoperativeswellingbycoaxingfluidoutofsofttissues.

“Thesewerepeoplewe’veneveroperatedonrequest-

ingourmasseusestoworkonthem,”hesays.Thejumpin

newpatientswascausedbya simplethesis:Lymphaticdrain-

agemassagescouldworkasa slimmingshortcut—acosmetic

upgradethatdoesn’trequirea singleincision.Asit wicksaway

someofthewaterinyourtissue,a lymphaticfacialcansharpen

yourcheekbonesanda full-bodytreatmentcanhelpyoudrop

5 or6 poundsalmostovernight.

Neinstein’snewpatientshavecelebrityrolemodels.Cate

Blanchett,KrisJenner,andtheDuchessofSussexallhave

usedlymphaticdrainagefora cosmeticboost,if webelieve

theirfacialists’interviewsandsocialmediaaccounts.When

KimKardashianWestandEvaChen,Instagram’sdirector

offashionpartnerships,wantedtotonetheirbodyforthe

pinkcarpetattheMetGalainMay,theyoptedforthetreat-

ment.Scrollthroughthesocialmediafeedorstoriesofany PHOTO

ILLUSTRATION

BY

BEN

GILES;

PHOTOS:

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WELLNESS BloombergPursuits August 19, 2019

celebutante—thinkHaileyRhodeBieber(néeBaldwin),Selena

Gomez,orShayMitchell—andyou’lllikelyfindthemgushing

abouttheinstant,Insta-friendlyeffect.

Howdoesit work?Thebodycanholdasmuchas1.3gallons

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 Ellwood

Squeezing Off

The Weight