Lymphatic Drainage After a Tummy Tuck: What the Protocol Looks Like
Tummy tucks come up often in my post-op consultations, and the questions are fairly consistent: what does a session actually involve, where do you work, and how does it fit around the rest of recovery. Here's what the protocol looks like in practice, once your surgeon has cleared you to start.
Your surgeon's clearance comes first
I don't book a first session for any tummy tuck client without clearance from their surgeon — that's their decision to make, not mine. Once you have clearance, we start with a consultation to go through what's been advised for frequency and any areas your surgeon has asked me to avoid or treat carefully.
Where the session focuses
For a tummy tuck specifically, the work is concentrated around the abdomen and the areas fluid tends to move towards — often the flanks and upper thighs — using the same light, rhythmic manual technique across the whole session. I only work in the areas and with the pressure your surgeon has cleared in writing; anything outside that stays off-limits, no exceptions, regardless of how the appointment is going.
Why it's a course, not a single visit
A tummy tuck protocol is virtually always a weekly series rather than a one-off — the exact number is set by your surgeon and confirmed at your consultation, not something I decide in advance. Clients on a longer course tend to use the studio's introductory packages (5 sessions for £275, 10 for £500) to bring the per-session price down.
If your surgeon updates the plan
If your surgeon adjusts your aftercare at a follow-up appointment — a different frequency, a new area to avoid, permission to extend to somewhere previously off-limits — that update takes priority over whatever we'd already agreed. I'd rather you tell me about a change before a session than find out partway through that the plan has moved on without me.
Before your first appointment
Bring your surgeon's clearance details and let me know at booking if there's anything specific they've asked for. Every session, including the first, opens with a short health questionnaire covering the procedure, the surgery date, and anything that's changed since your last check-in with your surgeon.
Positioning on the table
Some tummy tuck clients can't lie flat comfortably, so I adjust the table and use pillows to support whatever position feels manageable — reclined rather than flat, or with knees bent to ease tension on the abdomen. Tell me at the start of each session if a position feels wrong; we'll change it rather than push through discomfort.
What I'll ask you to bring
A loose top and bottoms that don't sit tightly against your abdomen make the session easier for both of us — anything with a fitted waistband tends to get in the way once you're on the table. If you're wearing a compression garment your surgeon has prescribed, wear it to the session and I'll work around it exactly as instructed, without adjusting or removing it unless your surgeon's notes say otherwise.
Working around the treated area
I never work directly on top of the incision line itself — I work the areas around and beyond it, following the pattern your surgeon's aftercare notes describe, rather than deciding case by case what looks ready. If your surgeon hasn't specified how close to the incision I should work, that's a question for them before your first session, not something I'll estimate on the day.
Price & booking
A single session is £80 for 60 minutes. To book a consultation, message me on WhatsApp on 07889 809678 with your surgery date and clearance status, or read more on the protocol page before booking through the bookings page.
Ella Beauty Studio
Unit 1 & 2 Oak Square, Stockwell Green, London SW9 9JF — inside Beauty Desire
WhatsApp / phone 07889 809678
Wednesday and Sunday, by appointment only
Serving Stockwell, Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Oval
