Whether you’re undergoing non-surgical treatments such as dermal fillers or Botox, or are about to have a surgical procedure, like a facelift, it is important to know what you can and can’t do before the actual procedures. Your doctor should let you know the pre-care you need to take, but we understand that you will probably want to know beforehand.

Always consult with your doctor and ensure that you follow their guidelines in order to have the best chances of success. Below, you can find a list of some of the dos and don’ts of pre-surgery you should know.

What You Should Do Before Surgery

Before undergoing surgical treatments, you should ensure that you have everything planned and are ready to go. From getting everything ready at home for when you return to arrange someone to pick you up from the clinic, it’s crucial that you make your preparations ahead of time, even if it’s not major surgery.

Verify all details with your doctor as well and arrive on time at the clinic or hospital. You won’t need jewellery either, so the best thing to do might be to leave it at home instead of taking it with you. You’ll want to have loose, comfortable clothing to wear after surgery or, if it’s a facial procedure, you’ll want to have the right protection too – if it’s sunny it might be best to wear a hat.

What You Shouldn’t Do Before Surgery

The list of things you shouldn’t do before surgery is usually bigger than the list of things you should do… Case in point, before undergoing surgery, it is crucial that you follow a strict and specific set of guidelines that will help you to recover quickly and easily from your procedure – and minimise the risks of infection.

For example, check with your doctor when you should stop eating and drinking. Is it the night before? Is it eight hours before your scheduled surgery? You’ll want to keep an empty stomach during the procedure, so that you can prevent complications, such as breathing ones. You might not be able to shave the area where you’ll have surgery for at least 48hrs before your procedure. After all, shaving can irritate the skin and make you more prone to develop an infection. Avoid creams and body lotions too.

Stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages at least a week before your surgery. Alcohol and nicotine can thin the blood and cause complications both during surgery and during recovery. If you do end up doing one or both of these things, be honest with your doctor!

You may be on certain medication that you won’t be able to stop taking. This should be discussed with your doctor before surgery as certain drugs can influence your anaesthetic, your surgery, or your period of recovery. Other medications, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and vitamin supplements, should be avoided. This is in order to avoid blood thinning complications during surgery.

Your doctor should always talk to you about the care that you need to take before surgery, so make sure that you follow them to the letter; whether it’s major surgery or a Botox procedure.

Nervous about surgery? Take a look at how to overcome your surgery anxiety here!