Lymphatic Massage ‘Squeeze Lady’ Gets License Suspended for This Dangerous Practice

Miami is one of the top cities for plastic surgery procedures, with countless breast augmentations, Brazilian Butt Lifts and Mommy Makeovers being performed every day. With so many people undergoing body surgery, it’s no wonder one lymphatic massage specialist was able to build a thriving business that catered to newly-operated-on patients.

This week, the Miami Herald reported that Yazna Corao—who goes by the moniker the “Squeeze Lady”—had her license revoked and later suspended by the State of Florida Board of Massage Therapy for using improper methods, including draining fluids from post-operative wounds. The complaint against Corao stemmed from videos she posted on her own website and Instagram page showing her draining liquids from the open wounds of clients while performing her massages.

According to Vero Beach, FL plastic surgeon Alan Durkin, MD, lymphatic massage is a beneficial practice that can help ease swelling after a body surgery and is relatively safe when performed properly. “Lymphatic massage is an important component of recovery following aesthetic surgery of the face, breast and body,” he explains. “It provides an opportunity to reduce the amount of excess fluid within the tissues and allows for prompt healing following intervention.”

The Florida Department of Health administrative complaint against Corao states that, “Massage is defined as the manipulation of the soft tissues of the human body with the hand, foot, arm or elbow. Massage does not include exuding fluids from open wounds.”

The complaint goes on to state that appropriately performed lymphatic massage uses sequences of gentle strokes to stimulate the flow of fluid through the lymphatic system. Dr. Durkin says gentle massage is helpful, but the treatment should stop there. Draining or eliminating fluid is very dangerous for post-operative patients and could lead to infection or worse. “While this modality is important in reducing post-operative swelling, or edema, it is not designed to directly remove fluid from the patient’s body. Rather, the goal is to redistribute fluid within tissues that are ‘hung up’ due to inflammation,” he shares.

Incisional drainage, which involves pushing fluid out of post-surgical wounds, should only be performed under the supervision of a doctor or nurse. “The concept of fluid removal is far outside the scope of lymphatic massage, or any type of massage outside of a medical or surgical facility,” adds Dr. Durkin.

Corao’s license has been suspended for six months and the “Squeeze Lady” will have to pay fees and investigative costs totaling upwards of $8,500. If this case has highlighted anything, it’s that surgical patients should research their post-procedure care as well as their actual surgery, even if it’s with a licensed professional. 

It's Personal

At NewBeauty, we get the most trusted information from the beauty authority delivered right to your inbox

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "8806970", formId: "a8aef9b2-6178-4dad-9e2a-98b7661febc2" }); Find a Doctor

Find a NewBeauty "Top Beauty Doctor" Near you

Select a state State AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC FL GA HI IA IL IN KY LA MA MD MI MN MO NC NE NJ NV NY OH OR PA SC TN TX UT VA WA WI Select a state Specialty Cosmetic Dentist Dermatologist Facial Plastic Surgeon Hair Restoration Specialist Oculoplastic Surgeon Periodontist Plastic Surgeon Prosthodontist Vein Specialist Select a state Treatment Abdominal thread lifts Accent your Body Acne Treatments Alexandrite Laser Arm Lift Asclera Bellafill Belotero Blue Light Body Body Lift Botox Botox Browlift Brachioplasty Brazilian Butt Lift Breast Augmentation Breast Augmentation with Fat Grafting Breast Implants Breast Implants with Saline Breast Implants with Silicone Breast Lift Breast Lift with Implants Breast Reconstruction Breast Reduction Browlift Butt Enhancement Carboxytherapy Cellulite Treatment Cheek Augmentation Cheek Augmentation with Fat Grafting Cheek Implants Cheek Lift Chemical Peels Chin Augmentation CO2 lasers Cool Lipo CoolSculpting CoolTone Crowns Dental Bonding Dental Implants Dimpleplasty Diode Laser Dysport embrace Active Scar Defense Emsculpt Endermologie Endoscopic Browlift Endoscopic Facelift Endoscopic Tummy Tuck Erbium Lasers Exilis Ultra 360 Eyelift Eyelift with Fat Grafting Face Facelift Facelift with Fat Grafting FaceTite Fat Melters and Fat Reducers Fat Transfer Forma Fractional CO2 lasers Fractional Resurfacing Lasers Fractora Glycolic Peels Glytone Enhanced Brightening Cream Gum Dermabrasion Gum Lift Hair Hair Removal Hair Transplant Hair-Loss Treatment Injectables & Fillers for Cheek Augmentation Injectables & Fillers for Eyelift Injectables & Fillers for Lip Enhancement Injectables And Fillers Injectables and Fillers with Fat Grafting Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Invisalign Isolaz Juvéderm Juvéderm Volbella Juvéderm Voluma Kybella Lactic Acid Peels Laser Liposuction Lasers Lateral Tension Tummy Tuck Limited Incision Facelift Lip Enhancement Lip Enhancement with Fat Grafting Lip Implant Lip Lift Liposculpture Liposuction Liquid Facelift Long Pulsed N: Yag laser Lower Blepharoplasty Lower Body Lift Lower eyelid surgery Lower Facelift MACS Lift Mandelic Peels Microdermabrasion Microinjection Microneedling Microwave Laser Treatment Mini Tummy Tuck Mini-Facelift Mommy Makeover Nd: Yag Neck Liposuction Necklift Nonsurgical Facelift Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty Obagi Blue Peel Otoplasty Perlane Phenol Peels Photobiomodulation Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Photofacial PiQo4 Plasma Resurfacing Lasers Power Assisted Liposuction Prevelle Pulsed Dye Radiesse Radio Frequency with Microneedling Radio Frequency-Assisted Lipolysis Red Light Restylane Restylane Defyne Restylane Lyft Restylane Refyne Restylane Silk Revision Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty Salicylic Peels SculpSure Sculptra Aesthetic Selphyl Silhouette Instalift Skin Skin Tighteners Skin Treatments Slim Lipo Smart Lipo SMAS facelift Smile Smile Makeover Smoothshapes Straightening Stretch Mark Treatments TCA Chemical Peels Teeth Whitening Thermage ThermiTight Thigh Lift Titan Tooth Contouring Traditional Facelift Tumescent Liposuction Tummy Tuck Ulthera Ultherapy Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction Umbilicoplasty Upper Blepharoplasty Upper eyelid surgery Vanquish ME VASER Lipo Vein Treatments Velashape Velasmooth Veneers Xeomin Search