Sponsored by Lypossage esthétiques International, LLC
Let’s face it: Massage therapy has been around for thousands of years and there is very little new in how massage therapy is delivered.
But when certain strokes are combined with the right intention, specific pathologies can be addressed.
Cellulite is one condition that can be assisted by specialized massage therapy.
Cellulite isn’t a serious condition, but it is certainly one that can irritate and embarrass those who have it. It looks like dimpled, bumpy skin, and it’s sometimes described as an orange peel- or cottage cheese-type texture.
Lypossage helps move lymphatic fluid, which when stagnant can create the bumps, bulges and lumps we call cellulite. Lypossage breaks up under-the-skin adhesions that create this dimpled appearance.
Lypossage took several years to evolve from research project to worldwide massage phenomenon. Let’s look first at how this specialty began.
In the Beginning
In 1998 I started a research project titled, “Does Deep Tissue Massage Therapy Have an Impact on Body Dimensions in The Hips and Thighs of Women?” The research lasted for more than one year and included 100 subjects.
After a year’s time, the research concluded and the findings were published.
The research showed an average dimension loss of 6.75 inches in study participants, between the navel and mid-thigh. Additionally, there was an unintended result that demonstrated a reduction in the look of cellulite.
These findings generated a great deal of interest from companies including Elizabeth Arden, Aveda and Estée Lauder. Each of these companies contacted me to learn more and to see if I would be interested in a strategic alliance.
As I thought about these inquiries, it became apparent that I should develop a name for the treatment and go straight to the consumer with the protocol.
I believed there was a need for healthy esthetic treatments; something that could be done before, after or instead of plastic surgery.
Overwhelming Interest
Once I came up with the name Lypossage, it was first exposed as an article in Day Spa Magazine’s January 2000 issue and then in MASSAGE Magazine’s March/April 2001 issue.
After these two articles, the interest was overwhelming. Massage therapists from around the world wanted to know how they could deliver this treatment to their customers.
What I didn’t know was that I was the first to develop a holistic body-contouring treatment and that most holistic treatments centered on reducing the look of cellulite were to derive from my research.
In an article in Dermascope magazine, titled “Lypossage: A Proven Modality for Cellulite Reduction and Inch Loss,” Melissa M. Montalvo wrote, “Despite recent claims by researchers that they were the first to study novel forms of treatment for dimension loss and cellulite reduction using variations of mechanical and manual lymphatic drainage techniques, [Charles] Wiltsie was indeed the first to conduct a study involving adapted complex physical therapy techniques combined with massage therapy’s greatest methods.”
What Lypossage Is
Lypossage is a blend of two things: complex physical therapy for lymphedema and myofascial massage.
My main goal in 1998, when my research began, was to see what the effects of these two things would have on healthy women. Montalvo wrote, “His main goal, regardless of his study’s outcome, was to incite further independent research to propel massage therapy as a ‘legitimate, integrated part of the health services landscape.’”
In other words, my intention was not to create a new modality but rather to encourage others to do research. As it turned out, the research showed that people lost dimension without losing weight and that there was a diminished look of cellulite.
This was further born out when I was asked to teach researchers from Artevelde Hogeschool (College) and the University of Ghent, in Belgium, the modality.
The researchers wanted to see if and how this new modality did or did not do what the research claimed. A year after the research in Belgium was completed, Healthy Aging Magazine published the following:
“Independent researchers from Artevelde College and the University of Ghent, Belgium found participants who underwent Lypossage, in a 2006 study, showed lower LDL-cholesterol levels, higher HDL-cholesterol levels … They also noted a reduction in body mass and cellulite following Lypossage. As a result of the research, Lypossage became the cornerstone for most noninvasive, manual cellulite treatments.”
A Growing Family of Lypossage Practitioners
Since Lypossage was first introduced, there are more than 4,000 certified Lypossage practitioners practicing around the world. In the U.S., Lypossage is represented in almost every state. There are Lypossage therapists in the Baltic region, Greece, Holland, Belgium and many other countries throughout Europe.
Lypossage is growing in Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, Australia and Hong Kong—and there is even a Lypossage training facility in Seoul, South Korea.
The Lypossage family has grown year after year because it is a successful, healthy alternative to liposuction as well as a great post-liposuction treatment that is used in many plastic surgeons’ offices.
We would love to have you join us.
About the Author
Charles Wiltsie, LMT has over 29 years expertise in the medical and day spa industries as a massage therapist and consultant. He is the developer of Lypossage. He is a Continuing Education Provider for the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), Connecticut State Licensed Massage Therapist and former Director of Education, Program Director and Regional Director of Massage Therapy for Premier Education Group. He can be contacted through charles@TrainLMT.com.
About Lypossage esthétiques International, LLC
Our Mission is to SERVE and Inspire a Love-of-Learning through an educational experience that is useful to the Practicing Massage Therapist, their Customers and the Health Services Field as a whole.
Lypossage has over 29 years of delivering expert training to the Medical and Day Spas Industries with a primary focus on training practicing Massage Therapists. We focus on:
- Lypossage®: Lypossage® is a body contouring treatment created by Charles Wiltsie, LMT and practiced by Massage Therapists in private practice, day spas and plastic surgeon’s offices worldwide.
- Business: This is one of our most popular classes. We are a world leader in teaching everything business.
- Advanced Spa Training: We teach the most comprehensive Spa training class, for Massage Therapists in the industry.
- Ethics: We teach three versions of this class
- Spa Etiquette: All about how to work inside the spa industry.
- Ethics of Men: Ethics focused on problems associated with being a male Massage Therapist.
- General Ethics: Ethics for all Massage Therapists
These training have been delivered all over the world. The training atmosphere is active, hard work and fun. Lypossage® has been featured in Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Massage Magazine, DaySpa Magazine, Dermascope as well as books and trade journals throughout the world.