For Women Living With Lipoedema
Dedicated Lipoedema
Care & Support in
North Brisbane
Assessment, compression therapy, and lymphatic support designed to help women manage lipoedema with confidence and clarity.
Lipoedema Assessment
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Compression Therapy
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Lymphatic Support
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Personalised Care Plans
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North Brisbane Clinic
Lipoedema Assessment ✳︎ Compression Therapy ✳︎ Lymphatic Support ✳︎ Personalised Care Plans ✳︎ North Brisbane Clinic
Focused on Lipoedema. Committed to Empowering You!
Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic located in Albany Creek on Brisbane’s Northside is the first of its kind and is dedicated to the structured diagnosis and long-term management of lipoedema in women.
We provide comprehensive assessment, clinical imagery, compression therapy guidance, lymphatic care, pre and post surgical care and individualised management planning. Our approach is evidence-based, methodical, and focused on improving function, comfort, and long-term outcomes.
The clinic is led by Charlotte Wolfenden, Registered Nurse (NMW0001464064) and current member of the Australasia Lymphology Association. Through structured clinical care and ongoing professional development.
Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic provides consulting rooms and treatment facilities for a number of independent practitioners who offer healthcare services to their patients eg. GP consultations for those with Lipoedema and Phlebology (coming soon) appointments for leg vein solutions .
Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic is committed to improving clarity, access, and standards of care for women living with lipoedema.
Understanding Lipoedema
Lipoedema is a chronic condition characterised by abnormal and disproportionate subcutaneous adipose (fat) loose connective tissue. Most commonly affecting the lower and upper limbs and in some cases abdomen.
Lipoedema often has vascular, genetic and lymphatic components and almost exclusively affects women, approximately 1 in 10.
It is distinct from generalised obesity and lymphoedema in both clinical presentation and progression.
Obesity: Generalised weight gain affecting the whole body
Lymphoedema: Swelling caused by lymphatic fluid accumulation, often affecting one limb and including the feet or hands.
Lipoedema: Symmetrical, connective tissue and painful fat disease affecting distribution of fat in the legs, arms and sometimes the stomach typically sparing the feet and hands.
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Lipoedema typically presents as symmetrical fat distribution affecting both legs symmetrically, often from the hips to the ankles, while the feet remain unaffected. If arms are affected, Lipoedema fat is often located in both the forearm and upper arm, typically stopping at the wrist. Many individuals notice that the lower body appears disproportionately larger compared to the upper body, despite lifestyle efforts.
Often jeans/trousers are baggy at the waist but fitting on the thigh and hips due to the disproportion of waist to hip ratio.
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The affected tissue may feel soft yet tender, sometimes with small nodular or bead-like textures beneath the skin. This sensitivity can make pressure, tight clothing, or minor contact uncomfortable.
Often the skin ‘stings’ for a period of time after the skin has been firmly pressed. Having your blood pressure taken can be painful as the cuff inflates and tightens.
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Bruising may occur with minimal or unrecognised trauma. Individuals often report unexplained bruises appearing more frequently than expected.
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A persistent feeling of heaviness, tightness, or pressure in the legs is common, particularly after prolonged standing or at the end of the day. This sensation may impact comfort, mobility, and daily function.
Lower limbs often feel like concrete blocks are attached to the legs, or walking on land feels like walking though water or at the end of the day the legs feel so tight they resemble boiling cocktail sausages just before they are about to burst open.
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Lipoedema fat behaves differently from typical body fat, which means restrictive dieting and intense exercise rarely alter the characteristic column shape of the legs or the fat around the knees and ankles.
Be kind to yourself, sometimes a mindset shift is needed. Eat to nourish and exercise to strengthen & support.
Feel Supported at Every Stage of Your Lipoedema Journey
Understanding how lipoedema affects you, is often the first step toward feeling empowered in your care.
Management
Together, we create a structured management pathway that is realistic, strategic, and tailored to your specific presentation. Care evolves with you, ensuring long-term support rather than short-term solutions.
Education & Support
We provide clear, evidence-informed education to help you make sense of your diagnosis, treatment options, and daily management strategies. Our goal is to create a supportive environment where your questions are welcomed, your experiences are validated, and you feel confident navigating your health with the right knowledge and guidance..
Conservative Therapies
We provide guidance on conservative therapies that may support lymphatic function and day-to-day comfort. This includes compression garment fitting, education around the use of vibration plates and rebounders to encourage lymphatic movement, and Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). Our focus is on helping you understand which approaches may be beneficial and how to incorporate them safely into your routine.
Pre & Post Surgical Care
Thoughtful preparation before surgery and supportive care afterwards can significantly influence recovery and outcomes. We offer pre-operative skin and tissue assessments, clinical photography to carefully document your progress, Manual Lymphatic Drainage supported by oscillation technology to further assist lymphatic flow and reduce fibrosis. LED therapy is available to support cellular health prior to surgery and encourage tissue repair and bruise reduction during recovery.
Our Lipoedema Services
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A comprehensive 60-minute assessment with a Registered Nurse and Accredited Lymphoedema Therapist. This appointment provides structured evaluation, education and a practical management plan tailored to your individual presentation.
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GP consultations provide comprehensive medical support as part of the Rubenesque multidisciplinary care model. Medical doctors can assist with weight and inflammation management, metabolic health assessments including blood tests, and the development of Chronic Disease Management Plans and Mental Health Care Plans where appropriate.
Patients may also receive referrals to relevant specialists and allied health professionals, including plastic surgeons, endocrinologists, exercise physiologists, and podiatrists.
This collaborative approach helps ensure women with lipoedema have access to coordinated, inclusive, and holistic medical care in one place.
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We follow the Casley-Smith lymphatic drainage method. This is a gentle hands-on lymphatic drainage technique designed to encourage lymph flow and support the body’s natural fluid movement.
Sessions are tailored to your stage of lipoedema and overall treatment plan.
We do not use wooden or metal tools often used in Brazilian lymphatic massage methods.
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Structured support before and after surgical procedures to optimise recovery, reduce swelling and promote safe healing. Care plans are individualised and aligned with your surgeon’s recommendations.
The TEO oscillation device used pre and post surgery provides gentle rhythmic vibrations to the tissues, helping to further encourage lymphatic movement and support the body’s natural drainage pathways.
Post surgery we use Medical-grade LED therapy to deliver targeted wavelengths of light to stimulate cellular processes that support healing, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue recovery.
Skin assessments are also performed during post surgical MLD to ensure wound healing is optimised.
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Professional guidance on selecting appropriate compression garments, understanding correct fit and knowing when and how to wear them for optimal support.
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Our Look, Touch & Feel sessions are designed to remove the uncertainty and reduce the chaos of choice by giving you the opportunity to explore options before committing financially.
During these sessions, you can see and feel different brands of compression garments, experience a vibration plate and try various leg compression devices. Helping you better understand what these tools look and feel like in practice. The goal is simple — to give you the confidence to make informed decisions about what may be right for your body.
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As part of our Lipoedema care, we offer clinical imaging using the same type of photographic equipment used by leading plastic surgeons. Images are taken using consistent lighting, angles, and positioning to create accurate, like-for-like comparisons over time. This allows progress to be clearly monitored at key recovery stages pre and post surgery.
About Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic
Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic is dedicated to supporting women living with lipoedema through specialised assessment, education, and personalised care. Our focus is on helping women better understand their condition while providing thoughtful guidance for long-term lipoedema management and support.
Lipoedema remains widely under-recognised, and many women spend years searching for answers before receiving an accurate diagnosis or understanding of their symptoms. At Rubenesque, careful assessment and patient-centred care are at the heart of everything we do.
Our clinic brings together nurses, Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) practitioners, and independent medical doctors in one place, creating a collaborative approach to lipoedema care. Importantly, some Rubenesque practitioners also live with lipoedema themselves. We understand the daily realities, the frustration of delayed diagnosis, the financial burden of treatment, the challenges of wearing compression, the lack of support many women experience, and the complex decisions around surgery.
Rubenesque was created for women with lipoedema. Our goal is to provide a place where you feel seen, heard, and supported by people who genuinely understand the condition and its impact on daily life.
For many women, the journey to diagnosis is long and often filled with confusion, frustration, and self-doubt. At Rubenesque, you are met with understanding, validation, and care from practitioners who recognise both the physical and emotional realities of living with lipoedema.
As research and awareness continue to evolve, our clinic will grow alongside the science. Our commitment is to remain a trusted place for lipoedema education, assessment, management, and ongoing support — so that no woman navigating this condition feels she has to do it alone.
Remember, you have Lipoedema, Lipoedema doesn’t have you.
Why Rubenesque?
A Rubenesque woman is inspired by the artwork of the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, who celebrated the beauty of fuller, softer female forms. In his paintings, women were depicted with curves, strength, vitality and presence—embodying a standard of beauty that honoured natural shape rather than striving for thinness.
At Rubenesque, the name reflects our philosophy: that the female body, in all its variations, deserves to be understood, respected and supported. It is a celebration of curves, not something to be diminished, while also recognising that conditions like lipoedema require care, validation and careful management.
Lipoedema is a condition that continues to evolve in both understanding and clinical management. At Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic, we are committed to ongoing professional education so that the care and guidance we provide reflects the most current knowledge available. Our practitioners actively engage in continued learning through national and international conferences, professional workshops, online education programs, and the regular review and interpretation of emerging clinical research.
We also believe that meaningful progress in lipoedema care comes through collaboration. Our team maintains active professional networks with a wide range of medical and allied health professionals, including national and international plastic surgeons, endocrinologists, exercise physiologists, podiatrists, and other Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) practitioners. By working with a broader community of clinicians and researchers, we aim to ensure our patients benefit from a continually expanding body of knowledge and a multidisciplinary perspective on lipoedema care.
Our Commitment to Ongoing Education
Why Choose Rubenesque?
Discover the difference of specialised care designed for women living with lipoedema.
Evidence-based Lipoedema Care
Care at Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic is guided by current research and recognised clinical practices in lipoedema management, ensuring treatments and recommendations are informed by the latest evidence and medical understanding.
Member of Australasian Lymphology Association
We are a proud member of the Australian Lymphology Association (ALA), reflecting our commitment to maintaining high professional standards and staying informed with the latest developments in lymphatic and lipoedema care.
Empowering Your Health Journey
At Rubenesque Lipoedema Clinic, we believe informed care is empowering. We take the time to educate, guide, and support you so you can better understand your condition and feel confident in managing your lipoedema.