Symtoms Of Face & Neck Lymphedema

[parisenmars]

Can someone please tell me what they are-especially the symptoms of face lymphedema. Also, I've been looking for hours on the net a registery of dermatologists that specialize in lymphedema. I was told by my therapist that dermatolgists alot of times could tell if a patient has lymphedema or not.

[Barry]

It seems strange to go to a dermatologist, who specializes in skin care, to get a diagnosis for lymphedema, which affects another body system. But what the heck -- I'm not a professional, so maybe I'm all wrong.
On the other hand, if faced with your problem I think what I would contact organizations such as the Vodder School (or any of the other programs that train lymphedema therapists) and ask either who teaches this topic for them, or who they would recommend.

There is a list of the training programs in the Lymph Notes Resource Directory. Look for the link to that heading in the orange bar on the Lymph Notes home page.

Good luck in finding a great solution!

Barry

[Ann]

Parisenmars, you asked an excellent question. To find more information we asked Tina Hammond, PTA, CLT-LANA, who is a lymphedema therapist with specialized training in this area, for an answer.
Tina's answer is so comprehensive we know that others will be interested too and so it has been publish on Lymph Notes as an article titled "Symptoms of Head and Neck Edema."
Tina's reply about your referral to a dermatologist was, "Regarding the dermatologists, I have never heard that specifically about dermatologists. I know that many estheticians have been trained in lymphatic drainage massage, so maybe that is what the info was about. The NLN has a list of Treatment/Diagnostic Centers which lists the MD's associated with them, but I've not heard of dermatologists specifically who specialize in lymphedema."
Thanks for asking the question and special thanks to Tina for providing the answer.

Ann