Endermologie vs lymphatic drainage

Endermologie is a machine treatment: a head with motorised rollers and suction kneads the skin and fat beneath it, sold mainly for cellulite and body contouring. Manual lymphatic drainage uses a therapist's hands and very light pressure to move fluid toward lymph nodes, and it has a defined medical role in lymphedema. For cosmetic contouring, trials of both show modest, temporary change that needs repeat sessions; for medical swelling or early recovery after surgery, choose lymphatic drainage from a trained therapist.

Endermologie and lymphatic drainage are both offered for smoother contours, and both are sometimes suggested after liposuction, but they work in very different ways. Endermologie is a machine that rolls and lifts the skin with suction. Lymphatic drainage is a therapist’s hands using pressure so light it barely moves the skin. The trials on Endermologie show circumference loss with mixed results for cellulite; lymphatic drainage has a clearer medical role in swelling. Neither gives permanent cosmetic change.

How Endermologie works

Endermologie uses a treatment head with motorised rollers and suction that grabs, lifts and rolls a fold of skin. LPG, the French company behind it, calls this mechanical cellular stimulation and says it encourages the skin to produce collagen and elastin and releases fat. Its current devices include the Cellu M6 Infinity for beauty clinics and the Cellu M6 Alliance for medical settings, used on the face and body for cellulite, firmness and slimming.

LPG’s own figures come from a 2024 survey: after 12 sessions, it says 93 percent of women found their orange-peel appearance smoother. Those are the maker’s numbers, so it is worth looking at what independent trials found.

What the trials found

Independent studies show reliable circumference loss but much weaker change in cellulite itself:

Study	Who and how many sessions	What changed
Collis et al., 1999	52 women, twice weekly for 12 weeks, treated and untreated legs compared	No measurable difference between legs; only 10 of 35 treated legs judged improved by the women themselves
Güleç, 2009	33 women, 15 sessions	All lost circumference; cellulite appearance improved in only 5 (15 percent)
Kutlubay et al., 2013	118 women, at least 15 sessions	Average 2.9 cm less per measured site; most also lost weight

The 1999 trial, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, was the only randomized one, and its authors concluded the treatment was not effective for cellulite. The later studies had no control group. In the 2009 study, women who lost weight during treatment lost more circumference, and most women in the 2013 study lost weight too, which makes it hard to separate the machine from the scale.

How hands compare with the machine

When the two have been tested side by side, hands and machine did about the same for cosmetic measures. A 2010 randomized trial in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology split 60 women with cellulite into three groups: mechanical massage, manual lymphatic drainage, and connective tissue manipulation. All three groups showed thinning of the fat layer on skinfold measures, and thigh circumference dropped by about half a centimetre in each. No method clearly outperformed the others.

The bigger difference is medical. Manual lymphatic drainage has been studied for lymphedema, where Cochrane’s review found that adding it to compression bandaging gave a further 7.11 percent reduction in arm swelling after breast cancer treatment, mainly in mild to moderate cases. Endermologie does not have that kind of standing in lymphedema care.

When to check with your surgeon or doctor first

If you are recovering from liposuction, a tummy tuck or another procedure, ask your surgeon before any treatment and follow their timeline. Early after surgery, tissues are tender and healing, and firm rolling and suction is not the same as gentle drainage.

Lymphatic drainage of any kind is not suitable if you have a deep vein thrombosis or blood clot, an active infection, heart disease or kidney failure, according to Cleveland Clinic. See a doctor first if one leg suddenly becomes swollen, hot or painful, or if new swelling comes with breathlessness.

How to choose

Choose by whether your concern is medical or cosmetic:

• Swelling after surgery, lymphedema or lipedema: manual lymphatic drainage from a trained therapist, often with compression.
• Cellulite or contour, purely cosmetic: both give modest, temporary change. Expect a series of sessions and maintenance, and weigh the cost of a 15-session course.
• Sensitive skin, easy bruising or a dislike of strong suction: hands-on work lets the therapist adjust pressure moment to moment.

What a course of either looks like

Both approaches are sold as a series, and the series is where the cost adds up. The Endermologie studies above used 15 sessions or more at two a week, and LPG quotes results after 12. Brazilian and classic lymphatic drainage for contouring are also repeated, because the fluid and contour changes fade as your body settles back to its usual balance.

Before you commit to a package of anything, ask:

• How many sessions are recommended, over what period, and what happens if you stop?
• What exactly will be measured, and will you see before and after numbers?
• Is the practitioner trained to recognise swelling that needs a doctor rather than a treatment?
• After surgery, has your surgeon agreed to this specific treatment and timing?

A clear, honest answer to each is a good sign, whichever method you choose. Vague promises of permanent inch loss are not.

What Renu offers instead

We do not offer Endermologie. For contouring and that lighter, less puffy feeling, our BodyTox studio offers Brazilian lymphatic drainage with Aisha Mendes, Meeghan Mackenzie and Sasha Bernard. The 90-minute Full BodyTox combines hands-on Brazilian technique with a suction machine and vacuum RF therapy, and includes a 20-minute infrared cocoon session; the 45-minute TummyTox focuses on the abdomen.

For medical swelling, classic lymphatic drainage with our Registered Massage Therapists is the better fit. Our page on manual vs Brazilian lymphatic drainage explains which to book, and Full BodyTox vs TummyTox helps if contouring is the goal.

Questions people ask

Is Endermologie the same as lymphatic drainage?

No. Endermologie is a device that rolls and lifts the skin with suction; manual lymphatic drainage is a hands-on technique with very light pressure aimed at moving lymph. The two differ in tool, pressure and evidence.

Can I have Endermologie soon after liposuction?

Ask your surgeon. Timing after surgery depends on how you are healing, and many surgeons prefer gentle manual lymphatic drainage in the early weeks. Follow your surgeon's written instructions over any spa protocol.

How many Endermologie sessions do people usually have?

The studies we read used at least 15 sessions, twice a week, and LPG quotes results after 12 sessions. Any contour change is maintained only with ongoing treatment, so think of it as a series, not a one-off.

Does Brazilian lymphatic drainage use a machine?

At Renu, the Full BodyTox combines hands-on Brazilian technique with a suction machine and vacuum RF therapy, plus an infrared cocoon session. It is not an Endermologie device, and the hands-on drainage is the core of the treatment.

Sources

1. LPG Group: Endermologie, mechanical cellular stimulation
2. Collis et al., Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 1999: Cellulite treatment, a myth or reality, a randomized controlled trial of Endermologie and aminophylline cream
3. Güleç, International Journal of Dermatology 2009: Treatment of cellulite with LPG endermologie
4. Kutlubay et al., Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy 2013: An alternative treatment modality for cellulite, LPG endermologie
5. Bayrakci Tunay et al., JEADV 2010: Effects of mechanical massage, manual lymphatic drainage and connective tissue manipulation on fat mass in women with cellulite
6. Cochrane: Manual lymphatic drainage for lymphedema following breast cancer treatment
7. Cleveland Clinic: Lymphatic drainage massage

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.