Most patients underestimate how much pre-op preparation affects surgical outcome. Bleeding tendency, bruising, wound healing, and infection risk are all influenced by what you put in your body in the weeks before surgery. This FAQ is the practical pre-op briefing your clinic should give you — and that you should follow even if it doesn\'t.
How far in advance should I start preparing?
The standard guidance:
- 2–4 weeks before: stop most blood-thinning supplements and discuss medications with your prescriber.
- 2 weeks before: stop alcohol, reduce caffeine, ensure stable nutrition.
- 1 week before: high-protein, high-vitamin C nutrition, careful sun avoidance, no aggressive skincare.
- 24–48 hours before: follow specific clinic instructions on fasting and medications.
What supplements should I stop before surgery?
The "blood-thinning" supplement list — stop 2–4 weeks before surgery:
- Vitamin E (high-dose) — increases bleeding risk.
- Fish oil / omega-3 — modest blood-thinning effect.
- Garlic supplements (concentrated extracts) — anticoagulant.
- Ginkgo biloba — anticoagulant.
- Ginseng — bleeding risk variable; conservative practice is to stop.
- Turmeric / curcumin (high-dose) — anticoagulant.
- Ginger supplements (high-dose) — mild anticoagulant.
- St. John\'s Wort — affects multiple medications.
- CoQ10 — possible blood-pressure effect.
- Multi-ingredient herbal blends — disclose all to your surgeon.
Dietary garlic, ginger, and turmeric in normal cooking quantities are not the same as concentrated supplements and do not need to be stopped.
What about prescription medications?
Disclose all medications to your surgeon at consultation. Critical categories:
- Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, aspirin) — require careful pre-op coordination with your prescriber. Never stop on your own without medical advice.
- Birth control pills — increase clotting risk; some surgeons request stopping for major surgery, others do not.
- Hormone replacement therapy — discuss case-by-case.
- Diabetes medications — dosing adjustments around surgery; coordinate with your prescriber.
- SSRIs and other antidepressants — typically continued through surgery; discuss with your surgeon.
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen) — stop 7–10 days before.
- Aspirin (low-dose) — stop 7–10 days before unless prescribed for cardiac protection (in which case discuss with the prescribing physician).
What should I add to my routine before surgery?
Useful pre-op support:
- Vitamin C — supports collagen synthesis. Standard dose 500–1000 mg/day for 2–4 weeks pre-op.
- Zinc — supports wound healing. 15–30 mg/day.
- Adequate protein — 1.0–1.5 g/kg body weight daily for surgical patients.
- Iron — if your hemoglobin is borderline, especially for women of reproductive age.
- Arnica — many surgeons recommend starting 2–3 days before to reduce bruising. Evidence modest, but generally well-tolerated.
- Bromelain — pineapple-derived enzyme; may reduce post-op swelling. 2–3 days pre-op through 1 week post-op.
What about alcohol?
Stop at least 2 weeks before surgery. Alcohol affects:
- Liver-mediated drug metabolism (anesthesia drugs).
- Hydration.
- Sleep quality.
- Bleeding risk.
Most Korean clinics also recommend 4 weeks alcohol-free post-op for major surgery.
What about smoking and vaping?
Stop ideally 6 weeks before surgery, minimum 4 weeks. Smoking impairs wound healing, increases skin necrosis risk, and elevates infection rates. This is non-negotiable for major surgery — surgeons may decline to operate on active smokers for high-risk procedures (facelift, breast lift, tummy tuck, large flap procedures). Vaping is also implicated; treat it the same as smoking.
What about cannabis?
Disclose use honestly. Cannabis affects anesthesia tolerance and may increase post-op nausea. Most surgeons request 2 weeks abstinence pre-op and 4 weeks post-op for major surgery.
What pre-op tests will I need?
Standard labs for procedures under general anesthesia:
- Complete blood count (CBC).
- Coagulation panel (PT/INR, PTT).
- Basic metabolic panel.
- Liver and kidney function.
- ECG (especially over 40 or with cardiac history).
- Chest X-ray (case-specific).
- Pregnancy test (premenopausal female patients).
- Imaging (CT for facial bone surgery, ultrasound for breast cases).
Most Korean clinics perform these on the day of arrival or the day before surgery. International patients should arrive 1–2 days early to accommodate testing.
What lifestyle changes help?
- Sleep: 7–9 hours nightly for at least 2 weeks pre-op. Sleep deprivation impairs healing.
- Hydration: consistent fluid intake, especially in the days before travel.
- Sun protection: avoid sunburn for 4 weeks pre-op — burned skin heals worse and pigments more unpredictably.
- Skincare: stop retinoids, AHA/BHA, and other actives 1–2 weeks before facial procedures.
- Stress management: elevated cortisol affects healing. Whatever you do for stress — sleep, exercise, meditation — keep it consistent.
What about flying in?
For long flights, increased clot risk matters:
- Wear compression stockings on the flight.
- Walk the aisle every 1–2 hours.
- Stay hydrated.
- Avoid alcohol on the flight.
- Arrive 1–2 days before surgery to allow recovery from jet lag and acclimatization.
What should I bring to my pre-op appointment?
- Complete medication list, including supplements and over-the-counter drugs.
- Past surgical history and any prior anesthesia complications.
- Allergy list (medications, latex, food).
- Recent lab results (if any), especially for cardiac or bleeding history.
- Photo ID and consent paperwork as requested.
- Translator (medical interpreter) if needed beyond clinic provision.
What if I forget something?
Tell your surgeon as soon as you remember. The most dangerous mistakes are the ones the surgeon doesn\'t know about. Honest disclosure about supplements, recent illness, or recent medication changes lets the team adjust the plan; hidden information becomes a risk.
Bottom line
Pre-op preparation is the part of plastic surgery you control entirely. Done well, it produces less bruising, faster recovery, lower infection risk, and a better aesthetic outcome. The 2 weeks before surgery is one of the highest-leverage time periods in the whole journey — invest it.