Neiva Cimini,
the specialist surgeons call on
when the result is on the line.
Certified massage therapist. Lymphatic disorders specialist. Creator of the Método Neiva Cimini®. Based in Belgium since 2015. Built from nothing, a reference today.
From Rio de Janeiro to Belgium: a journey built on the science of the lymphatic system.
I arrived in Belgium in 2015 without a valid diploma to practice my profession, without a network of contacts and without the financial resources to build the institute I dreamed of. Like many immigrants, I had to start over from scratch in a new country, adapting to a different culture, language and healthcare system.
To practice legally, I completed a massage therapy course and became recognized as a massage therapist by the Belgian Federation of Massage Therapy. At the same time, I kept investing in my scientific education, completing a postgraduate degree in Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy in Brazil and deepening my studies in lymphology, the physiology of healing, mechanobiology and lymphatic system disorders.
I started with home visits and a single portable table. Every session was an opportunity to observe how the body behaves, to understand the interaction between the lymphatic system, the autonomic nervous system and the tissues, and to develop a form of treatment based on physiology, not on standardized protocols.
Over the years, this vision gave rise to different areas of practice, all connected by the same principle: the functioning of the lymphatic system.
Today I work in postoperative recovery in plastic surgery, in the conservative treatment of lipedema in partnership with a multidisciplinary network of doctors, in the care of people with lymphatic disorders and in the development of my own method of functional lymphatic drainage focused on the body's physiological balance.
This technique, developed from the association between physiological reasoning, manual therapy and modulation of the autonomic nervous system, has been recognized by luxury hotels and highlighted by Marie Claire magazine as a high-end wellbeing experience. Its goal is not only to reduce edema, but to support the body's balance, promote deep relaxation and contribute to quality of life through care for the lymphatic system.
I am the founder of the Maison Ipanema Institute, with locations in Maasmechelen and Meise, Belgium, currently expanding. I also share this knowledge through the Neiva Cimini Academy, training professionals who want to understand the body's physiology and apply evidence-based physiological reasoning.
All of this was only possible because I combined scientific knowledge, a passion for the lymphatic system and deep respect for human physiology with hard work and a constant desire to make a difference in people's lives.
Because, although every person I care for has different needs, they all share one thing in common: the lymphatic system plays a fundamental role in tissue recovery, edema control, the inflammatory response and maintaining the body's balance. It is this understanding that guides every treatment I perform.
Over time, I realized that the biggest problem in post-operative recovery wasn't a lack of technique: it was a lack of reasoning about the right timing.
I saw many people with fibrosis caused by strong massage applied too early. I saw seromas that got worse because someone tried to "drain" them with excessive pressure. I saw surgical results compromised not by the surgery itself, but by what happened (or didn't happen) in the following weeks.
This drove me to study more deeply: the physiology of healing, the histology of collagen, the biomechanics of fascia, the pharmacology of inflammation. Not because I was going to prescribe, but because to guide well, you have to understand what you are guiding.
That's when the Method took shape: not as a set of techniques, but as physiological reasoning applied to post-operative care. A way of thinking before you touch.
"My goal isn't only aesthetic, it's functional: to restore the function of the damaged tissue."
What is verifiable, and how to verify it.
ISAPS Body Masters 2026, Barcelona
Invited to lecture at the elite course of ISAPS — the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the world's leading professional organization for board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeons, with the mission of promoting aesthetic education worldwide for patient safety. A course restricted to board surgeons from around the world; one of the rare non-physician specialists in a space reserved for the highest level of medicine. Confirmed in writing. Friday, 3 July 2026.
See the source →Lipedema World Congress
Participant in the Lipedema World Congress — a top-level international meeting that brings together lymphologists, plastic surgeons, angiologists, phlebologists, nutritionists, dermatologists, physiotherapists, bariatric and metabolic surgery specialists, radiologists and patient associations from around the world. It is this multidisciplinary scientific update that underpins the conservative management of lipedema at the institute.
See the source →Dermatis 2025, Porto
Speaker at Dermatis — the International Congress of Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy in Porto, which brought together more than 250 professionals from over 20 countries. Lecture topic: “The Science of Healing: Integrating Technology and Manual Therapy in Postoperative Care”.
See the source →Speaker · Estética in São Paulo
Speaker at Estética in São Paulo — one of Latin America's largest aesthetics congresses — with the lecture “High performance in aesthetic post-operative care: the science behind surgical rehabilitation”. The lecture is backed by her own scientific paper, integrating high-precision manual therapy, photobiomodulation and physiological strategies in the management of lipedema and high-definition liposuction.
See the source →Marie Claire Belgium
In the piece “Drie pre-party treatments die écht werken” (Dec 2025), the Belgian edition of Marie Claire highlighted the method by name: “the exclusive Neiva Cimini method combines relaxation with scientific precision”, with an effect “often felt immediately”. An editorial, non-sponsored mention — spontaneous recognition by journalism.
See the source →La Butte aux Bois · 5-Star Superior
The Relais & Châteaux La Butte aux Bois — the first hotel in Flanders to receive the official 5-Star Superior classification — features on the menu of its Shiseido Spa the “Lymphatic drainage massage (technique by Neiva Cimini)”. She developed the technique and trained the entire team of the spa voted the best in Belgium. When a global luxury brand signs the technique with your name, the recognition speaks for itself.
See the source →Scientific Committee · Beyond The Scalpel, Brussels
At the Beyond The Scalpel congress — a plastic surgery scientific meeting endorsed by the Royal Belgian Society for Plastic Surgery — N. Cimini's name appears on the official Scientific Committee, alongside Prof. Dr. M. Hamdi (honorary chairman), Dr. Karl Waked and Dr. J. Hayek. A congress dedicated to elevating the standard of care in plastic surgery, from pre-operative preparation to post-operative aftercare — and a non-physician professional sitting at the table that defines the scientific programme.
See the source →Partnership, not competition.
The work of a lymphatic disorders specialist is conservative and complementary to the surgeon's — she gives continuity to the result and knows exactly where her own scope ends and his begins. She is not a physician or a physiotherapist; she does not diagnose or prescribe. She does not compete with the surgeon: she protects his result.
What I do is continue the result the surgeon created on the operating table, and give the surgeon something they rarely have: predictability in recovery.
Most post-operative problems don't begin in the operating room. They begin afterwards, when the surgeon "loses control" and what happens to the tissue depends on whoever is guiding the recovery. When that someone has a method, physiological reasoning and communication with the surgeon, the result is more stable, complications are fewer and the client's satisfaction with the surgery rises.
I always work in partnership with the attending physician. Any medical question beyond my scope, I refer. Any complication, I report. Support for the doctor is part of the protocol.
If you're a surgeon and would like to talk about a partnership or training for your team:
"Doctor, when you have post-operative care in place, you have more predictability in your result."
I've also been on the other side of the table.
I'm a plastic surgery patient myself. I know first-hand what it is to feel vulnerable after surgery: the swollen body, the doubt over whether it will turn out well, the fear of doing something wrong, the dependence on someone who truly understands what is happening.
That experience changed the way I work. There is no client I look at without thinking that this person entrusted their body to me at a moment of real vulnerability. That is no small detail: it is the centre of everything.
I don't work by the clock. I have no standard package. I stay for as long as the session requires, because my commitment is to the result, not to the schedule.
"I don't treat only the body, I treat the person. They don't feel like numbers, they feel like individuals who are heard."
Now that you know who I am...
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