Parts of the body to be avoided:

There are times when parts of the body need to be avoided during a treatment. Skin surface problems such as excessive weeping skin and dry flaky skin that is deep enough to cause skin inflammation should be avoided. Avoid the area and advise the person to seek treatment. If the flakes of skin are small and not deep work can proceed. Bruised tissue should not be worked on for fear of secondary damage. Wait some time before massaging the area and ensure that area is not painful before working on it. The time factor will vary greatly depending on the type of bruising you are dealing with.
Varicose veins can be very lightly effleuraged. In fact it is beneficial as it aids in venous return and supports the faulty valves. Other strokes, wringing and petrissage may be used above and below the area but not on the varicose area itself. You do not want to burst the vein.
A similar condition with the same considerations would be where unexplained lumps or bumps are found in the body. Do not work them with friction or tapotment in order to break them up. It may be the body's way of dealing with a foreign body/ rogue cell and you do not want to reintroduce it to the system.
Massage is contra-indicated for scar tissue if less than eighteen months old. It is still not advisable after this time if the scar is red, painful, swollen or hot as there may be infection, damaged tissue or some unexplained reason why the body cannot heal itself. Otherwise massage in general and friction in particular can be very helpful to break up adhesions.