First! Here is the sweet low down on what the amazing lymphatic system in YOUR body does every single day:

1) It helps to remove what can be harmful to your body (such as toxins, pathogens, waste, etc.,) as well as it helps to remove what your body does not need (such as excess fluid or cellular debris) by moving it through your lymphatic drainage system. (Need we mention this action is a huge help to your immune system, and to your health over-all?)

2) Your lymphatic system also absorbs fat-soluble vitamins from your digestive system and delivers these nutrients to the cells that can utilize them. (Fat-soluble vitamins are essential for your health and are very beautifying for your skin.)

Fascinating fact: there are only two ways your body can process and move lymphatic drainage (lymph). One is through movement (such as by exercising or by dry brushing) and the other is when someone performs a Manual Lymphatic Drainage treatment (MLD) on you. Doing either or both regularly has multiple benefits for your body as a whole, which in turn shows up in a positive way in your skin. MLD has some advantages over exercise when it comes to moving lymph because MLD can target specific areas as well as encourage a parasympathetic (restful, healing) response in your body.

MLD treatments are sometimes called “massages”, although MLD does not actually manipulate muscles the way traditional massages do. Instead, MLD gently moves your skin. The MLD strokes are light, steady and rhythmic. This creates an involuntary sympathicolytic effect- which reduces the activity of the Sympathetic Nervous System (the “stress” response), and increases the activity of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (a restful, healing state of being), to allow relaxation and restoration to occur. (Ahhhhh.)

It may seem obvious, but let’s spell it out for perfect clarity: Reducing the unnecessary cortisol (stress hormone) that gets produced during high stress times (when the sympathetic nervous system takes over) and reducing the circulatory restrictiveness of unnecessary tension associated with high stress, (thus allowing the restful, restorative parasympathetic nervous system to take over) is GOOD for your skin! Receiving MLD is an exemplary method for accomplishing this. (MLD is also great for your body as a whole, but since this is a skin care blog we are going to focus on the tremendous benefits it offers to your skin.)

(Quick note of caution…While MLD is perfect for just about everyone, there are some contraindications such as pregnancy, acute inflammation, acute illness, thrombosis, congestive heart failure and cancer. If any of these issues are present, then it is not the right time to receive an MLD treatment.)

“Authentic” MLD (more on this authentic business in a minute) has also garnered a reputation for improving certain acne conditions, improving some types of rosacea, improving certain types of dark circles, bags and puffiness, as well as for improving the appearance of your complexion over-all. Some plastic surgeons recommend patients undergoing cosmetic surgery receive a series of MLD treatments both before and after surgery because MLD can decrease swelling and inflammation and increase rapid, healthy healing. (To actually treat different types of skin conditions, a specific amount and specific frequency of MLD treatments are required, but even just one authentic MLD treatment has benefits for your skin.)

So! What counts as an “authentic” MLD treatment, you ask? Dr. Emil and Estrid Vodder developed Manual Lymphatic Drainage in France in the 1930s. If you have heard of the “Vodder technique” for MLD- this is where the name comes from! The Vodders developed and perfected what is now considered the “gold standard” of MLD.

The first center for Dr. Vodder's manual lymph drainage technique was founded in Essen, Germany in the 1960s. By 1974, MLD was approved by health insurance in Germany because of the detailed, scientific research and explanations of its proven benefits that came out of this center and other clinics like it. I wish I could link those studies and research here, but they are all, alas, in German. (Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof!)

Today, if you peruse the grab bag of YouTube videos supposedly of MLD you will find a hodgepodge of styles…and most of them are questionable at best. Many don’t even follow the basic principles of MLD such as following the directions that lymph naturally flows through your body, nor do they demonstrate the required light pressure, rhythmic strokes, and perhaps most importantly, they don’t have any scientific studies backing up their claims.

This is in huge contrast to the Vodder Technique! The Vodder Technique is precise and extremely detailed, thoroughly studied, and you will never, ever find the authentic Vodder Technique for MLD in a video online! (l’horreur!) The caretakers of this technique are so concerned about it being taught and practiced correctly that they insist it must be learned in person, by an authentic Vodder Technique instructor, who has not only gone through rigorous training but receives rigorous continuing education as well. (The instructor for the course that I took goes to Europe regularly to meet with her trainer to have her own technique evaluated and continually re-honed.) The Dr. Vodder School International educators are fiercely serious about their craft and do not allow videos of it to be posted publicly for fear it will be misunderstood and practiced incorrectly. If you ever see a video online claiming to show the Vodder Technique for MLD, you will know it is a fraud!

The Vodder Technique course I took was rigorous. It was five full days of all-day training with homework in the evening. At the end of the course, I had to pass both a practical exam and written exam before being granted the certification to perform the Vodder Technique of MLD. (Phew! That’s how much I love you guys!)

Now I am very excited to offer the authentic Vodder technique MLD treatment to you!

I have been offering a very short and sweet version of MLD already, and while it follows the correct principles of MLD (strokes moving in the direction of natural lymph flow, using a specific, light touch, stimulating specific channels to assist in lymph drainage, etc.,) it is not the official Vodder MLD. When I had the chance to take a course from an official Vodder technique instructor- I jumped! It has been on my skin care bucket list to learn this specific technique (as the Vodder technique reputation is legendary in the skin care world) and I was not disappointed! It is more detailed, specific and complete than the shorter version I currently offer. While I have much affection for this short and sweet version (it does provide some nice results) I am so excited to finally be able to offer the gold standard, top of the line, full enchilada Vodder Technique as well!

Just to be clear…I will still offer both versions of MLD- the short and sweet 15 minute addition (still so good to add onto any facial or treatment, especially when time is tight or when a budget-friendly version is desired) as well as the fully in-depth, profoundly complete, 40 minute Vodder Technique MLD (which can be received as a treatment all on its own or along with any facial or treatment) to encompasses a much fuller panoply benefits.

Short and sweet MLD Addition or the full and complete Vodder Technique MLD…both are gorgeous! Either way, can’t wait to see you in the treatment room!

Short MLD Addition (click here and scroll down)

Complete Vodder Technique MLD (click here and scroll down)

“After doing a juice cleanse, I'm motivated to eat healthier…Cleansing is like my meditation. It makes me stop, focus and think about what I'm putting into my body. I'm making a commitment to my health and hitting the reset button.” ~Salma Hayek

“I juice beetroots, carrots, celery, pineapples, or anything in my fridge that's left over. I just chuck it all in - it's very good for cleansing your system.” ~Tamzin Outhwaite

“I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.” ~Catherine Zeta-Jones

“Drinking water is like washing out your insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric load and improve the function of all your tissues.” ~Kevin R. Stone

“I believe that cleansing and hydrating is extremely important, especially with the environment's condition and the pollution around.” ~Disha Patani

Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio

Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)

This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners.
This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only. All images and text in this blog are under the legal ownership of Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio, or permission of use has been granted for this specific blog only. Permission is not granted for this text or these images to be copied and used out of the context of this blog, or for commercial purposes. If any part of the text is quoted in an article or other blog for educational purposes, a hyperlink to this page must be included.

What is Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) Again? (And Why Does Our Skin Love it so Much?)