When a lipo-abdominoplasty patient comes to see you, the questions begin immediately
- Is it too early to start treatment?
- What pressure is appropriate at this stage?
- Where should fluid actually be directed after this procedure — and why does that differ from standard MLD drainage routes?
- What should you do if the compression garment does not fit correctly? How do you recognise a red flag and when do you refer back to the surgical team?
Standard MLD training does not cover these decisions.
This is not a gap in your ability — it is a gap in what most courses provide.
This masterclass addresses it directly, with clinical theory, live patient assessment, and a full treatment demonstration.
What this Masterclass covers
Lipo-abdominoplasty is one of the more complex procedures you will encounter in postoperative practice. The surgery removes tissue below the umbilicus, alters superficial lymphatic drainage pathways, and leaves a healing incision that requires careful consideration in every session. General MLD knowledge is a foundation, but it does not prepare you for the specific decisions this procedure requires.
This Masterclass was developed over more than two decades of clinical postoperative practice. It covers the anatomy and physiology you need to understand what has changed in your patient's body; the clinical theory behind why light, correctly directed treatment produces better outcomes than deeper work; and the practical skills of compression assessment, foam fitting, and lymphatic taping.
You also watch a real patient being assessed and treated less than a week after surgery, so you can see how these decisions are made in practice, not just in theory.
What You Will Learn
The lymphatic system after surgery
Lipo-abdominoplasty removes tissue and superficial lymphatics below the umbilicus, altering drainage pathways and affecting wound healing. You will learn what this means for your patient's recovery and how it informs your treatment decisions.
Where to direct fluid
After abdominoplasty, the incision becomes a new functional boundary for fluid movement. You will learn the correct drainage direction for this procedure, why directing fluid downward toward the incision is harmful, and how to adapt your hand strokes accordingly.
Compression garment assessment
You will watch a live assessment on a patient less than a week after surgery, see a poorly fitting garment identified in real time, and learn what to look for and what to recommend instead.
Foam fitting
You will see a bespoke foam corset cut and fitted on a live model, with guidance on why bevelled edges are used, when a moisture-wicking layer between foam and skin is needed, and when foam is not appropriate due to active wound closure.
Lymphatic K-taping
You will learn how to apply tape to create a micro massage effect on movement, how skin position affects the result, and how to decide whether taping is appropriate at a given stage of healing — including when to wait.
Red flags and referral
You will learn how to recognise signs that require referral back to the surgical team and how to make treatment decisions that keep you within your scope of practice at each stage of recovery.
See Inside the Operating Theatre
One of the most significant gaps in postoperative training is that therapists rarely get to see what actually happens during surgery. You treat the outcomes every session, but the procedure itself- what is removed, what is moved, what is damaged, what is left behind- remains largely invisible.
This Masterclass includes an annotated surgical video of a lipo-abdominoplasty procedure, presented by Mr James McDiarmid, Consultant Plastic Surgeon. Two and a half hours of surgery is condensed into approximately fifteen minutes, with key stages highlighted and explained so you can see directly how the tissues are affected, where the lymphatics are disrupted, and why the body looks and feels the way it does when your patient arrives for their first appointment.
This is not a diagram or an illustration. It is a real procedure in a real operating theatre, and the clinical insight it provides changes how you approach every lipo-abdominoplasty patient you see.
What you receive
The Masterclass video:
A full recording of the live masterclass, covering the clinical theory, compression assessment, foam fitting, lymphatic taping demonstration, and a complete MLD treatment session on a patient less than a week after surgery. Available to watch and rewatch at any time through your secure personal portal.
The surgical video:
An annotated recording of a lipo-abdominoplasty procedure presented by Mr James McDiarmid, Consultant Plastic Surgeon. Condensed from two and a half hours of surgery into approximately fifteen minutes, with key stages explained.
A Q&A recording:
Petra answers clinical and practical questions submitted by therapists, covering common uncertainties around treatment timing, pressure, compression, and referral.
Lifetime access:
All content is available through a personal password-protected portal with no time limit on access. Return to any section as often as you need.
Optional e-book upgrade:
At checkout, you can add the companion e-book for £19.99, covering MLD pathways, treatment timelines, and procedure-specific guidance in a format you can refer to between sessions.
About Petra Erving
I qualified as a massage therapist in 2003 and spent the years that followed training in increasingly specialist areas — myofascial release, lymphoedema therapy, and eventually Manual Lymphatic Therapy. In 2011 I joined the lymphoedema department at St George's Hospital in London, one of the UK's major teaching hospitals, where I worked with complex patients and developed a deep understanding of the pathophysiology of the lymphatic system.
That same year I began working with Mr Christopher Englefield at London Bridge Plastic Surgery, integrating MLD into the surgical care package for postoperative patients. To my knowledge, it was one of the first clinics in the UK to offer on-site manual lymph drainage to all surgical patients as standard.
Over the following years I worked in hospice care, private practice, and a specialist plastic surgery clinic, building the clinical experience that now underpins everything I teach. In 2021 I established The Aftercare Academy to provide in-depth postoperative education for MLD and lymphoedema therapists — because I could see a significant gap between what standard training provides and what working safely with this patient group actually requires.
My background is clinical, not beauty therapy. The Aftercare Academy exists to raise the standard of care for patients recovering from aesthetic plastic surgery, and to give therapists the clinical foundation to do that work with clarity and assurance.
Here's what therapists have had to say about the Masterclass
Therapists who have completed this masterclass work with postoperative patients with greater clarity, more specific clinical knowledge, and a clearer understanding of when and how to adapt their treatment approach.
Kerry
MLD THERAPIST, UK
"Before this masterclass I was treating lipo-abdominoplasty patients with general MLD knowledge and hoping for the best. What changed everything for me was understanding the drainage direction after abdominoplasty. I had been directing fluid the wrong way without realising it. Once I understood why the incision becomes a new functional boundary and how to adapt my hand strokes accordingly, my whole approach to this procedure shifted. I now have surgeons referring patients to me directly because they trust that I understand what has happened in the operating theatre."
Brittany
CLT THERAPIST, USA
"My lymphoedema training gave me a strong foundation in MLD but it did not prepare me for the specific decisions postoperative patients require. This masterclass filled that gap in a way that felt clinically serious and immediately applicable. The section on lymphangiogenesis and why prolonged inflammation delays wound healing gave me the theoretical grounding to explain to patients why early, light treatment produces better outcomes than waiting or using deeper pressure. My patients recover more consistently now and I feel clinically clear about every decision I make."
Misrak
MLD THERAPIST, EU
"I had been working with post aesthetic plastic surgery patients for two years before I found this masterclass and I thought I had a reasonable understanding of the field. What I did not have was a clear picture of what actually happens during surgery and how that affects everything I do in the treatment room. The annotated surgical video changed that completely. Seeing the tissue removal, understanding what is disrupted and what remains, and connecting that to the clinical theory Petra teaches gave me a level of understanding I had not been able to find anywhere else."
Commonly Asked Questions
Do I need any specific qualifications to take this masterclass?
Will I get lifetime access?
Will this masterclass tell me when I can start treating patients after surgery?
Does this cover full abdominoplasty as well as lipo-abdominoplasty?
What if I have questions after completing the masterclass?
Is the e-book included in the £67 price?
This is the clinical foundation your lipo-abdominoplasty patients need you to have.
Standard MLD training was not designed for this patient group. The decisions that postoperative care requires- where to direct fluid, how to assess compression, how to work safely around a healing incision, when to refer- are specific, clinically grounded, and learnable. This masterclass gives you that knowledge in a focused, practical format you can apply immediately.
Lifetime access. Watch and rewatch as often as you need. Optional e-book available at checkout for £19.99.