Two kinds of bloating
Bloating from fluid retention feels heavy and puffy, often worse in the evening, before a period, after long flights or standing all day, or with hormonal changes. Bloating from gas or digestion feels distended and gassy, varies with meals and is often accompanied by discomfort or changes in bowel habit. Compression therapy helps the first kind. For the second, the answer lies in diet, gut health and sometimes medical assessment.
How compression helps fluid retention
The lymphatic system drains excess fluid from tissues, but it has no pump of its own and relies on movement and muscle contraction. When you sit, stand or fly for long periods, or when hormones shift fluid balance, drainage slows and fluid pools. Sequential compression from the feet upwards applies the movement the system is missing, pushing fluid towards the trunk where it can be processed. The abdominal section of the suit works the same way on the abdomen.
What to expect
Many people feel lighter and less puffy immediately, and often need to pass urine soon after a session as fluid is cleared. The effect lasts a day or two after a single session and longer with a course. For premenstrual bloating, a session in the days before a period is the timing most people find useful.
What we would say at Omnia
If your bloating is persistent, painful, or accompanied by changes in weight, appetite or bowel habit, see your GP before booking. Otherwise a session at our Chiswick clinic is a low-risk way to find out whether fluid is the issue; if compression makes a clear difference, it usually is.