Before Treatment Begins

A Therapist’s Guide to Safer Lipo-Abdominoplasty Aftercare

A practical clinical guide to help you assess postoperative patients, recognise potential concerns and make safer treatment decisions.

Working with patients following lipo-abdominoplasty requires more than knowing how to perform MLD. You need to understand the surgery, recognise how healing influences the patient's presentation and know when treatment should be adapted, delayed or referred back to the surgical team.

This 35-page digital guide brings together essential clinical considerations and practical resources to support your approach to early postoperative care.

What's Inside

• Understanding postoperative swelling – Learn what to observe and how to interpret swelling within the wider clinical picture.

• Healing stages and treatment readiness – Understand what to consider before commencing treatment.

• Firmness and tissue congestion – Recognise why early firmness does not automatically indicate fibrosis or require deeper pressure.

• Red flags and referral decisions – Identify symptoms and presentations that require caution or medical review.

• Weeks 1–3 treatment considerations – Explore how your approach may change as recovery progresses.

• Compression garment observations – Know what to look for when assessing garment fit and patient comfort.

Practical Resources Included

✓ Pre-treatment assessment questions

✓ Red flag and referral guidance

✓ Early treatment considerations for weeks 1–3

✓ Treatment notes template

✓ Pre-treatment decision checklist

✓ Clinical case reflection

Developed by Petra Erving

Founder of The Aftercare Academy, Certified Lymphoedema Therapist and Scar Tissue Therapist, with over 20 years of clinical experience.

Instant access | 35-page digital eBook | £27

Designed for qualified therapists. This guide supports clinical decision-making and does not replace practical training, surgeon guidance or your professional scope of practice.