Contributors
A big thank you to the amazing professionals who have contributed content to this website. Please find information about them below:
Joep Fernando
Joep Fernando is Clinical Director, Lead Scar Management Occupational Therapist, and Co-Founder of London Scar Therapy, an independent specialist service providing advanced, conservative scar rehabilitation for complex and case-managed clients across the United Kingdom. His clinical practice focuses on the management of complex scarring using evidence-based, outcome-driven interventions aimed at optimising tissue remodelling, reducing pain and hypersensitivity, restoring functional performance, and supporting return to meaningful occupation following serious injury, trauma, or surgery.
He trained as an Occupational Therapist in London and developed an early specialist interest in hand therapy, leading to a clinical focus on complex wound healing, fibrosis, and the long-term functional consequences of pathological scarring. He previously led a specialist scar management service in South East London, working across adult and paediatric pathways and supporting patients with hypertrophic, keloid, post-surgical, and trauma-related scars. His current caseload predominantly involves individuals with multi-trauma and catastrophic injuries requiring highly specialised, long-term rehabilitation to address the interaction between scar tissue, pain, movement restriction, and occupational performance.
His clinical approach is centred on the integration of tissue-level rehabilitation with functional and participation-based outcomes, ensuring that scar management is directly linked to real-world activity, independence, and quality of life. He is recognised for his expertise in the conservative management of complex scars where surgical intervention is not indicated, has been unsuccessful, or forms part of a staged rehabilitation pathway.
Alongside clinical leadership, Joep has been involved in research, service development, and innovation within rehabilitation and scar management. This has included collaborative work with King’s College London in biomedical prototyping and translational rehabilitation research. His current clinical and research interests focus on the provision of evidence-based, multimodal scar management, combining manual therapy, compression, silicone therapy, negative pressure techniques, and structured rehabilitation programmes to optimise tissue remodelling, reduce symptom burden, and maximise functional outcomes in complex scar presentations and catastrophic injury populations.
Filipa Borlinhas
Filipa Borlinhas is an HCPC-registered Dietitian specialising in women's health, with a particular focus on pregnancy and postnatal nutrition, including recovery after caesarean birth, perineal tears and episiotomy.
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She is the founder of Nourish Her by Filipa, an online nutrition practice supporting women through pregnancy, helping them meet their nutritional needs at each stage, and through postpartum recovery. She is a member of the British Dietetic Association and the Early Life Nutrition Alliance, and is a Certified Fertility and Prenatal Dietitian. Her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics brings an analytical, evidence-led lens to her nutrition practice.
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As a contributor to the Scar Therapy Network, Filipa translates current research into practical, personalised guidance, helping women understand how nutrition may complement their wider care.
Sandra Wright
After years of competing at the highest level, including winning a Bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Sandra Wright OLY understood better than most what the female body is capable of, and what it needs to recover.
Inspired by her own journey through treatment and rehabilitation, whilst working full time as a police officer she followed her dream and retrained as a physiotherapist. Sandra is living proof that it's never too late to reinvent yourself, and she brings that same determination to helping women feel strong, pain-free, and in control of their bodies.
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Sandra is a passionate advocate for women's health, a calling that took root early in her career when she witnessed firsthand the lack of support available to women across every stage of life, from puberty through to post-menopause. That passion became deeply personal when she experienced a pubic symphysis separation following the birth of her daughter, now in her twenties. It is that lived experience, as an athlete, a mother, and a patient, that makes Sandra not just a skilled clinician, but a truly empathetic one.
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With a rich and diverse skill set, Sandra combines a holistic approach with clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice, meeting each patient exactly where they are.
Her specialist training spans Physiotherapy, pelvic health, stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), prolapse, pelvic pain, vulvodynia, pelvic girdle pain (PGP), antenatal /postnatal Pilates mat & Reformer Pilates, scar work (including C-section, oncology, and perineal), Barral Visceral Manipulation, acupuncture, exercise prescription, hypnobirthing, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), pregnancy massage and psychosexual medicine.
Sandra owns The Wright Approach, Physiotherapy clinic and works at HLP Therapy.
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Sandra is a registered member of the CSP, POGP, HCPC, AACP, and APPI.
Amber Raine is an Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and Registered Member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP). She specialises in providing counselling for patients pre- and post-operatively and offers an extensive range of counselling options for clinics and patients. These include pre-operative assessments for clinics and one-off sessions for patients to facilitate their decision-making process and to explore their expectations, feelings and general well-being around having surgery. Additionally, Amber offers mid and long-term therapy both during and after surgery to enable patients to explore issues relating to self-esteem and body image, their life, relationships, confidence and broader happiness.
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Her goal is to give patients a space to explore their motivations and feelings related to the decision to have surgery so that they are empowered to make a decision that is right for them. The decision to have cosmetic surgery is often rooted in more complex motivations and influences other than simply wishing to enhance appearance or concern with a body part. Amber facilitates exploration into a myriad of conscious and unconscious internal and external influences, such as relationships, introjected messages from childhood, familial, cultural, religious and societal factors, along with prejudices, advertising, popular culture and social media and their effect on self-concept, body image and feelings.
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Amber is committed to raising standards for patients and clinics by providing a link to seamlessly integrate the physical aspect of having surgery with a patient’s emotional and psychological well-being so that the patient is treated and cared for as a whole person. She provides patients with a much-needed layer of psychological care and support as they make decisions about their bodies which will impact them for life and hopefully enhance it.
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Amber has worked extremely closely alongside patients and surgeons, being present during surgeon consultations and all stages of the patient journey, from initial consultation to post-op care. Amber feels privileged to have gained a deep insight into the patient journey and experience and the wide-ranging and complex feelings and motivations which patients have shared with her, which she draws on as a Therapeutic Counsellor and Appearance Counsellor in her work with patients.  
Inês Sadoc Pereira
Inês Sadoc Pereira is an internationally experienced Nurse Consultant in Tissue Viability, Scar Therapist, public speaker, and founder of Wound Wellbeing.
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Dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by wounds and scars through evidence-based, holistic care. With more than 18 years of nursing experience across Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, Inês has built a reputation for combining clinical excellence with compassionate, patient-centred care.
Inês holds postgraduate qualifications in Oncology Nursing and a Master of Science degree, and has also contributed to nursing education as a lecturer and module lead for a post graduate wound care module at the London Southbank University for 3 years. She has also contributed and been an author of journal articles about venous leg ulcer management and scar therapy.
As founder of Wound Wellbeing, Inês is passionate about empowering individuals through education and individualised care. She is a frequent national and international conference speaker, a mentor to healthcare professionals, and an advocate for innovation, inclusivity, and excellence in skin, wound, and scar care.
Her latest venture is to host the first ever event in the UK to bring together experts in skin, wound and scar care: from skin to scare care international conference, supported by the Scar Therapy Network.