What our clients are reading on social media:

Why Learn About Peptides after Surgery? 

If you are interested in learning more about peptides and their effects on our clients after plastic surgery, this class is for you. 

I have been seeing a rapid increase in the number of peptides in client’s health history forms since 2020. I’m sure we all now know someone who is using insulin or a GLP-1 receptor agonist. I knew that these peptides were injected and could affect blood sugar and weight, but I hadn’t considered how their use could affect a massage therapy session. 

When I began seeing questions in 2025 on my social media posts from people specifically asking about injectable peptides that help with healing after surgery, I knew I had to learn more to make sure I was giving clients a safe and effective massage. 

If you are also focused on giving your clients a safe and effective massage after their operation, join me as we examine the research behind the several peptides our clients may be using to recover from their plastic surgery. 

What are peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids naturally present in the body which serve as signaling molecules. Peptides bind to cells and the same peptide may have wide ranging effects across different body systems. 

Some peptides have been available in injectable, supplement or topical form for many years, others are newly developed or not approved for human use. This class will mostly focus on peptides that are injected into the body. 

The client may purchase FDA-approved peptides from a pharmacy or compounding pharmacy with a prescription or non FDA-approved peptides online. Some non-FDA-approved peptide vials come labeled ‘for research purposes’ and some people may reconstitute the peptide and inject it into themselves. As massage therapists, we need to know as much as we can about how peptides can affect the safety and efficacy of our massage sessions. 

If our client has metabolic syndrome, they may be taking insulin, which is a peptide, to help control blood sugar levels. If insulin is required to control their disease, clients receiving plastic surgery have a higher risk of complications (Goltsman et al., 2017).

GLP-1 receptor agonist peptides are enjoying a surge in popularity in Southern California and around America. Many of my clients receiving lymphatic massage after plastic surgery as well as my clients with lymphedema are taking these peptides. 

Most GLP-1 receptor agonists are FDA approved peptides available by prescription and may be administered at a weight loss clinic or purchased online, created at a compounding pharmacy and shipped to the client’s home. The prescribing doctor may combine GLP-1 related peptides with other medications to make a custom formulation based on the client’s needs. Some people may be using not-yet-approved weight loss peptides from online compounding pharmacies. 

Many people receive prescriptions for GLP-1 receptor agonists from their primary care physician, but some plastic surgeons may also prescribe peptides like GLP-1 receptor agonists directly to their patients as they prepare for plastic surgery.

In a letter to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal, Koenig and Uygur state that “some med spas and even plastic surgeons market GLP-1 receptor agonists as aesthetic “packages.’” The authors recommend that “moving forward, we urge plastic surgeons to adopt a more multidisciplinary approach, ensuring that presurgical evaluations include psychological and lifestyle assessment” (2025).

Surgeons and Naturopathic doctors may be informing their patients about GLP-1 receptor agonists as well as other peptides, including Body Protection Compound-157 (BPC-157) and growth hormone-releasing peptides like Ipamorelin and CJC-1295. Read Dr. Roy Kim's Substack article peptides here: https://drroykim.substack.com/p/the-peptide-craze-why-im-not-recommending-them-to-my-patients

Massage Therapist's Review of the Class:

Massage Therapist Review

A client came to me recently, who had had a facelift and lower bleph in Shanghai. She looked amazing and I could not believe she was only three weeks postop. She told me that she was doing peptides

(retatrutide and GHK-Cu.)

I’m a person who is normally well-versed in supplements and the like and I was really caught off guard because I did not know what she was talking about. I had heard about peptides such as Semoralin, but this was a whole new world.

As usual, Kathleen Lisson has her finger on the pulse of what’s going on. I was very happy to see this class offered, and I thought it was very well researched and presented.

I highly recommend this class for any lymph drainage therapists working on people after surgeries of any kind.

Ida Friedman, CMT, CLT

Course Objectives

List and describe common peptides that massage clients may utilize after surgery.

List and describe side effects of common peptides.

Describe how massage may change levels of peptides naturally present in the body. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Upon completion of this course, students will have knowledge of the actions and side effects of several common peptides clients may be taking after surgery.

LEARNING OUTCOME: Students will demonstrate familiarity with popular peptides after surgery and be able to design an effective massage session that focuses on awareness of potential side effects and the safety of the client.