The A to Z of MLD : A is for Acne

MLD or Manual Lymphatic Drainage to give it its full title is a versatile modality which can assist in treating a whole host of conditions. Over the coming weeks I’ll post on just a few uses for this amazing work.

MLD is a highly specialised treatment with very gentle specific strokes designed to stimulate the lymphatic system, aiding the flow of lymph fluid into the lymph nodes. It is used extensively for those with lymphoedema for example after breast cancer to manage the swelling in the arm or chest wall, but it can also be highly beneficial to those with functioning lymph nodes. Please check out of MLD page here for more information on the technique.

A is for ACNE

First, a little bit of history….

The Vodder technique of Manual Lymphatic Drainage was created by Dr Emil Vodder and his wife Astrid who back in 1929 noticed that when working on people with chronic colds, sinusitis, acne or inflamed skin they all had swollen nodes in their necks. These were of course the lymph nodes as we know them today. He hypothesized that the nodes were for some reason unable to cleanse the tissue and he wondered whether it was possible to decongest the nodes, thereby opening the dam and allowing the fluid to drain away from the congested and inflamed tissue, and normalising the skin. This started him on a journey which has improved the lives of countless people and continues to do so to this day.

Did you know that during the last 25 years the Vodder method has become the most physician-prescribed manual technique refunded by the German Health Insurance System. Oh, to have such a forward thinking the health system here!

And so back to Acne. Anyone who has suffered with acne, and I definitely count myself in this group will know the misery it brings. It can strike at any time, most commonly during our teenage years, but also as we’re older towards our forties, I was blessed with both oh lucky me! Which makes working with acne sufferers a particular passion of mine, another reason why I love this work so much. Acne is essentially an endocrine issue, which in turn causes an excess production of sebum which causes blockages in the hair follicles in the skin which become plugged by the sebum, dead skin cells, resulting in red, pustular and inflamed outbreaks.

MLD assists in the normalisation of the skin by opening up the neck and then the face, draining away the congested fluid sitting under the skin, allowing for quicker healing.

A wonderful example of the benefit of this work can be seen on this excellent case study, shared with kind permission by Jan Douglass of Moving Lymph and Gabby Griffiths of Getting Better Faster can be seen on this series of photos over a period of a four weeks of intensive treatments, the results really do speak for themselves.

It should be noted that the lymphatic system is a very slow-moving system and so time and patience is required on behalf of the client and the therapist. It is recommended to have at least 2-3 half hour treatments per week for around 3 to 4 weeks to achieve these kinds of results, but for those suffering from severe acne the commitment is surely worth it.