Cost of a full course of post-op lymphatic drainage

At Renu's 60-minute post-op price of $140, a full course of lymphatic drainage after a single procedure usually comes to between about $280 and $1,400, because our recovery guides suggest anywhere from 2 sessions after a breast augmentation to 10 after 360 lipo or a BBL. Combined procedures such as a tummy tuck with liposuction can need 8 to 12 sessions. Your surgeon's protocol and how your swelling behaves decide the real number, so treat these figures as a budget range, not a prescription.

Most people recovering from one cosmetic or orthopaedic procedure spend somewhere between about $280 and $1,400 on post-op lymphatic drainage at Renu, paying $140 per 60-minute session. The total depends on how many sessions your recovery needs, and that number is set by your surgeon’s protocol and by how your swelling and any firmness behave, not by a fixed package. The table below gives a realistic range for each common procedure so you can budget before surgery.

Budget ranges by procedure

Each of our recovery guides gives a typical number of sessions for that procedure, based on how recovery usually goes. Multiplying those ranges by the 60-minute post-op price ($140), and by the 45-minute price ($115) where a smaller area makes that length reasonable, gives the following:

Procedure	Typical sessions	At 60 min ($140)	At 45 min ($115)
360 lipo	6 to 10 over 6 to 8 weeks	$840 to $1,400	not usually enough time
BBL	6 to 10 over 6 to 8 weeks	$840 to $1,400	not usually enough time
Tummy tuck	3 to 6	$420 to $840	not usually enough time
Tummy tuck with liposuction or a mommy makeover	8 to 12	$1,120 to $1,680	not usually enough time
Arm lipo	4 to 6	$560 to $840	$460 to $690
Chin and neck lipo	3 to 5 over the first 6 weeks	$420 to $700	$345 to $575
Facelift, neck lift or eyelid surgery	3 to 5	$420 to $700	$345 to $575
Breast augmentation	2 to 4	$280 to $560	$230 to $460
Breast lift or reduction	4 to 6	$560 to $840	$460 to $690
Breast implant removal (explant)	4 to 8	$560 to $1,120	$460 to $920
Knee or hip replacement, alongside physio	4 to 8	$560 to $1,120	$460 to $920

When two or more procedures are done in one surgery, the early sessions are often booked as the 90-minute multiple surgeries session at $210, which changes the arithmetic. Eight to twelve sessions at that length would be $1,680 to $2,520; in practice many people use the longer session for the first weeks and step down to 60 minutes as the swelling eases.

For the details behind each range, including when the first session usually happens, see our guides to lymphatic drainage after a BBL, a tummy tuck, 360 lipo, breast surgery, a facelift and knee or hip replacement.

Why surgeons’ protocols give very different totals

Your surgeon’s instructions come first, and they can move your budget a long way in either direction. Two published approaches show the spread:

• The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says many surgeons recommend lymphatic massage begin the day after liposuction and continue several times each week for two months. Two sessions a week for eight weeks is 16 sessions, or $2,240 at $140.
• One U.S. plastic surgery practice publishes a protocol of daily sessions from the day after surgery, with at least 10 in a row and more based on swelling, fibrosis or healing progress. Ten sessions at $140 is $1,400, all in the first two weeks.

Our guide ranges sit below both, partly because many of our clients start a few days after surgery rather than the next day; our BBL guide, for example, suggests a first session 5 to 10 days after surgery on the liposuction areas only, and our tummy tuck guide suggests one to two days after the drains come out. If your surgeon has given you a number, budget for that number. If they have simply said “get lymphatic massage”, the ranges above are a reasonable place to start, and our answer on how many lymphatic drainage sessions you need after lipo looks at the published plans in more depth.

What makes a course longer or shorter

The number of sessions follows the tissue, not the calendar. The same protocol that sets the minimum at 10 also says more sessions may be needed depending on swelling, fibrosis and healing. The usual reasons a course runs toward the top of its range:

• several areas treated, or a large volume removed
• firmness or lumpy areas that last beyond the first few weeks
• difficulty wearing the compression garment as prescribed
• a late start, when swelling has already had time to firm up

And these tend to keep it shorter: a single, smaller area; swelling that settles steadily; consistent garment use; and gentle daily walking as your surgeon allows. ASPS describes bruising as usually gone and swelling starting to subside around weeks four to five after liposuction, with continued improvement from week six, which is why the later sessions in a course are usually further apart.

Front-loading: where the money does the most work

Spend most of your budget early. The first weeks are when swelling peaks and when firmness can begin to form, so sessions two or three times a week in the first fortnight do more than the same number spread evenly over two months. A typical shape for a 360 lipo or BBL recovery might be:

• weeks one and two: two or three sessions a week
• weeks three and four: one or two a week
• weeks five to eight: weekly, then stopping when the tissue is soft and swelling stable

If your budget runs out before your swelling does, it is not wasted; it is simply time to lean on your garment and home care and to check in with your surgeon. And if your recovery is already months along, our page on whether it is too late to start lymphatic drainage months after surgery is for you.

When to call your surgeon instead of booking another session

A course of lymphatic drainage is not a substitute for your surgeon’s follow-up. Call them, rather than booking another session, if you notice a calf that is suddenly swollen, warm or painful, a fever, redness or heat spreading from an incision, or swelling that is getting worse after it had been improving. Sudden shortness of breath or chest pain needs emergency care.

Planning your course at Renu

Post-op sessions are booked one at a time in Jane under pre and post-op lymphatic drainage, at $105 for 30 minutes, $115 for 45, $140 for 60 and $210 for 90 minutes after multiple procedures; the post-op lymphatic drainage cost page explains how to pick a length. Cosmetic surgery recovery is delivered through BodyTox by Renu, and orthopaedic and oncology recovery by Meeghan Mackenzie, our Certified Lymphedema Therapist. Book your first few visits before surgery, timed from your surgeon’s clearance, and we will plan the rest with you as you heal. The clinic is in West Hillhurst and open seven days a week, which makes closely spaced early sessions easier to fit in.

Questions people ask

Does Renu sell post-op packages?

Our published list prices each session individually, and stage plans are worked out with your therapist at your first visit. Paying per session means you are never committed to visits your swelling turns out not to need. Ask at your first appointment how the plan for your procedure is likely to look.

What if I cannot afford every session my surgeon suggested?

Tell us, and tell your surgeon. Most of the benefit is in the early weeks, so it usually makes sense to protect those sessions and space out the later ones. Wearing your compression garment as prescribed, gentle walking and the self-care your therapist shows you all carry the work between visits.

Can I claim post-op lymphatic sessions on my benefits?

Coverage is decided by your plan, not by the clinic. Some people claim sessions with a Registered Massage Therapist through an extended health plan or a health spending account, so check your plan's rules and annual maximum before surgery, while you have time to plan.

Should I book all my sessions before surgery?

Book the first two or three, timed from your surgeon's clearance, so you have spots in the busiest weeks. Leave the rest open; your therapist will suggest the spacing once they have seen how your tissue is healing.

Sources

1. American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Eight ways to make liposuction recovery a breeze
2. American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Liposuction recovery
3. De La Cruz Plastic Surgery: Lymphatic massage after liposuction
4. Renu Health & Wellness: Lymphatic drainage after a BBL in Calgary
5. Renu Health & Wellness: Lymphatic drainage after a tummy tuck in Calgary

Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.