How to Get Ready for Cosmetic Surgery

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Good cosmetic surgery preparation begins well before you confirm an operation date. Your health, expectations, home environment, and recovery plan can all affect your safety and results. By preparing carefully, you may reduce several surgical risks, including infection, bleeding, blood clots, healing problems, and reactions to anesthesia.

Patients can use this guide to learn how cosmetic surgery preparation generally works in Canada. It provides general information for procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift, tummy tuck, liposuction, facelift, eyelid surgery, and rhinoplasty. General advice cannot replace your plastic surgeon’s directions, which will be tailored to your procedure and health.

Start by Choosing a Qualified Plastic Surgeon

The professional titles shown in cosmetic surgery advertising may not always be clear. In Canada, the term “cosmetic surgeon” may be used even when a physician is not certified as a specialist in plastic surgery. A surgeon’s licence, education, experience, and professional record should be checked before an operation is booked.

In Canada, qualified plastic surgeons may be certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and use the designation FRCSC. In Quebec, specialist certification may be confirmed through the Collège des médecins du Québec. To verify a physician’s licence and check for public restrictions or disciplinary findings, search the College of Physicians and Surgeons for your province or territory.

During your consultation, ask:

Do you hold specialist certification in plastic surgery?
Approximately how many times have you performed this operation?
Which surgical facility will be used for my procedure?
Has the surgical facility been properly inspected or accredited under provincial rules?
Who will provide my anesthesia, and what are their qualifications?
How often do complications or revision procedures occur in your patients?
Do you have hospital admitting privileges or an emergency transfer plan?
Who should I contact if a complication develops when the clinic is closed?

Be careful with guarantees, limited-time discounts, or pressure to add procedures. No ethical surgeon can promise a perfect result or a risk-free recovery.

Make Sure Cosmetic Surgery Is Right for You

Cosmetic surgery may be appropriate when you are physically stable, understand the risks, and are pursuing the procedure for yourself. Cosmetic surgery can change a feature, but it cannot guarantee confidence, happiness, career success, or a better relationship.

Be specific about your desired change and discuss what surgery can reasonably accomplish. Your anatomy, skin quality, age, scars, health history, and healing response will influence the final result. Before-and-after photographs can be helpful, but another patient’s outcome cannot be copied exactly.

Assess Your Emotional Readiness

Do not rush into surgery during a personal crisis or because someone else wants you to change. Disclose anxiety, depression, body dysmorphic disorder, eating disorders, and other mental health concerns to your surgeon. This information is relevant to your care and should not be treated as a reason for embarrassment.

Consider seeking more support before surgery if you repeatedly pursue procedures, feel consumed by a minor concern, or believe an operation will solve unrelated life problems. Surgery may be postponed when the expected benefit cannot reasonably meet a patient’s goals.

Share Your Complete Medical History

Accurate health information helps your plastic surgeon and anesthesia provider evaluate surgical risk. Concern about postponement should not prevent you from disclosing a condition, medication, or substance use. Missing information can make anesthesia, pain control, and recovery less safe.

Make sure your surgical team knows about:

Heart, lung, kidney, liver, or bleeding conditions
Diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, or obstructive sleep apnea
Previous blood clots, pulmonary embolism, or clotting disorders
Medication, adhesive, latex, or surgical skin preparation allergies
Previous anesthesia complications, severe post-operative nausea, or difficult intubation
Past operations, existing implants, keloids, or unusual scar formation
Current infections, dental infections, rashes, or open wounds
Pregnancy, possible pregnancy, breastfeeding, or plans for pregnancy
Every medication and supplement you use, including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and natural health products
Your use of nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, or other substances

Pre-operative assessment may include bloodwork, an electrocardiogram, imaging, pregnancy testing, or medical clearance from a family physician or specialist. Testing depends on your procedure, age, medical conditions, and type of anesthesia. Arrange all required testing in time for the results to be reviewed before surgery.

Discuss Every Medication and Supplement

Write down every prescription, non-prescription medicine, vitamin, and supplement you take. Your list should state each product’s name, dosage, purpose, and usual schedule. Take the completed list to both your consultation and pre-operative visit.

Certain medications and natural health products may change bleeding, clotting, blood sugar, blood pressure, sedation, or healing. Anticoagulants, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, diabetes medication, hormone therapy, contraceptives, copyrights, weight-loss medicine, and certain supplements may require special attention.

If you take a GLP-1 medication for diabetes or weight management, discuss it directly with the surgical team. These drugs can affect how quickly the stomach empties, which may change anesthesia and fasting plans. The correct approach depends on the specific GLP-1 medication, your dose and symptoms, and the procedure being performed.

A prescribed drug should never be stopped based only on your own decision. Dangerous problems can occur if blood thinners, seizure medicine, copyrights, antidepressants, or heart medication are stopped suddenly. Any decision to hold or adjust a medicine should be coordinated among your surgeon, anesthesia provider, and prescribing clinician.

Avoid Smoking, Vaping, and Nicotine

Nicotine narrows blood vessels and reduces the oxygen available to healing tissue. As a result, nicotine can raise the risk of infection, skin loss, wounds opening, slow healing, and more visible scars. Nicotine is a particular concern for tissue-tightening or tissue-moving procedures such as facelifts, breast lifts, breast reductions, and tummy tucks.

Sources of nicotine include smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco, nicotine pouches, and nicotine replacement products such as patches or gum. Never assume that switching from cigarettes to vaping removes the surgical risk. Discuss the required nicotine-free period and the safety of nicotine replacement with your surgeon. A surgeon may require several nicotine-free weeks on both sides of the procedure and may test for nicotine exposure.

Limit your exposure to second-hand smoke as much as you can. For help quitting, contact your family physician, pharmacist, or a provincial smoking cessation program long before surgery.

Disclose Cannabis, Alcohol, and Substance Use

Legal access to cannabis in Canada does not mean it is safe to use during the surgical period. Smoking or vaping cannabis can irritate the airway. Regular use may also change anesthesia, nausea control, heart rate, and pain medication needs. You should also disclose cannabis edibles and medically prescribed cannabis.

Your anesthesia provider needs to know the type of cannabis, your frequency of use, and the time of your last dose. Follow the clinic’s instructions about when to stop. Do not arrive for surgery impaired.

Drinking alcohol around surgery may contribute to dehydration, bleeding, withdrawal, or dangerous medication interactions. Regular or high alcohol intake requires an honest discussion, since stopping abruptly can sometimes be unsafe without medical support. Recreational substances, including copyright, methamphetamine, and non-prescribed opioids, may lead to severe problems with anesthesia. Honest disclosure allows the team to protect your health rather than make assumptions about your substance use.

Support Your Body Before Surgery

Aim for a Stable Weight

Major weight loss after body contouring can change the result. The result and scars may also be affected by weight gain. When substantial weight loss is planned, consider reaching a weight you can maintain before scheduling surgery.

Avoid severe or rapid dieting before an operation. Healing may be affected when extreme dieting limits essential nutrients such as protein and iron. Additional nutritional assessment may be needed if you have anemia or a history of bariatric surgery.

Choose Foods That Support Healing

Support your health with regular meals, good hydration, protein, produce, and whole-grain foods. To help repair tissue, obtain protein from sources including eggs, fish, poultry, dairy products, beans, lentils, or tofu. Follow medical advice if you have diabetes, kidney disease, food allergies, or another condition that changes your diet.

Avoid high-dose vitamins and products marketed for healing unless your care team has approved them. Some natural health products carry surgical risks, including medication interactions and increased bleeding.

Stay Active Within Your Limits

Regular walking and suitable exercise can support heart and lung health before surgery. It also helps you practise a routine that may be used during recovery to reduce stiffness and blood clot risk. Seek medical advice before exercising if you experience chest pain, breathing difficulty, mobility limits, or another relevant condition.

Know What the Surgery and Recovery Involve

A signed form alone does not complete the informed consent process. Your surgeon should explain the procedure, anesthesia plan, incision sites, scars, alternatives, benefits, and risks.

Although each operation has different risks, complications can include:

Post-operative bleeding, hematoma formation, or an unplanned urgent operation
A surgical infection or slow wound healing
A blood clot in the leg or a pulmonary embolism in the lungs
Seroma formation or fluid gathering under the skin
Temporary or lasting numbness, altered nerves, or ongoing pain
Poor scar quality, including thickening, widening, darkening, or raised scars
Asymmetry, contour changes, or an unsatisfactory result
Capsular contracture, implant rupture, or another implant concern
A reaction to anesthesia or difficulty breathing
A later operation to revise the result

Your surgeon should explain the expected duration of swelling and bruising and when results become meaningful. Early swelling can make the treated area look uneven or larger than expected. It can take weeks or months for tissues to settle after facial, breast, or body-contouring surgery.

Plan Ahead for a Supported Recovery

Most patients need more help than they expect during the first few days. Arrange your support before surgery, especially if you live alone, care for children, or have limited mobility.

Ask a reliable adult to provide transportation and accompany you after discharge. Sedation and general anesthesia make it unsafe for you to drive yourself home.
Your clinic may require someone to supervise you after surgery, commonly for at least the first night.
Plan for someone else to handle children, pets, groceries, cleaning, and other household responsibilities.
Confirm how much time you need away from work, school, exercise, and driving.
Make easy meals in advance and move frequently used supplies to a comfortable height.
Fill approved prescriptions and obtain dressings or garments before the procedure.
Keep the clinic’s daytime and after-hours contact information easy to find.

Patients travelling to another Canadian community for surgery should stay close enough to attend scheduled follow-up care. After some operations, extended flights or car journeys can add to the risk of blood clots. Discuss safe travel timing and arrange a plan for complications that develop after your return.

Prepare Your Recovery Space

Prepare a clean resting space stocked with water, approved medicines and supplies, a thermometer, and a phone charger. Some procedures require the head or torso to be raised during sleep, which may be supported with a wedge or additional pillows.

Only obtain a compression garment after the surgical team provides the proper style and sizing information. A garment that is too tight can cause pain, skin injury, or circulation problems.

Plan for the Full Cost of Cosmetic Surgery

Provincial and territorial health plans generally do not pay for surgery performed only for cosmetic reasons. Procedures that are medically necessary or reconstructive may follow different funding rules and may require prior approval.

Request a written quote that explains:

The fees charged by the surgeon, anesthesia provider, and surgical facility
Implant, garment, medication, and laboratory costs
Any taxes, deposits, financing conditions, and payment deadlines
The follow-up care covered by the quoted price
The clinic’s cancellation, postponement, and refund terms
Possible charges for revision surgery or complication management

Your total budget should account for missed income, childcare, travel, lodging, medicine, and assistance at home. Ask your private insurer what it covers, but do not assume routine medical complications related to elective cosmetic surgery will be paid in every situation.

Use Your Surgeon’s Before-Surgery Directions

Preparing During the Two Weeks Before Surgery

Confirm medication instructions, required tests, transportation, and your recovery support. Do not expose the surgical site to tanning, cuts, irritating hair removal, or other preventable skin problems. Use your surgeon’s specific directions for bathing products, shaving, nail polish, artificial nails, and cosmetic services.

Contact the clinic if you develop a fever, cough, cold, flu symptoms, COVID-19, a urinary infection, a dental infection, vomiting, diarrhea, or a new skin problem. It may be safer to postpone an elective operation than to proceed while you are ill.

Preparing on the Day Before Surgery

Verify when to arrive and review the exact fasting directions provided by the clinic. The correct fasting period is based on your operation and type of anesthesia. Do not apply a general rule you found online. Food or liquid consumed after the approved time can create an aspiration risk, making a delay or cancellation necessary.

If an antiseptic cleanser is provided, use it correctly while completing the required pre-operative shower. Unless the clinic cosmetic surgeons tells you otherwise, avoid shaving, scrubbing, or placing marks on the treatment site. Get a good night’s sleep and avoid alcohol or recreational drugs.

The Morning of Surgery

On surgery morning, use only authorized medications and no more water than permitted. Do not chew gum, suck candy, or drink coffee unless your instructions clearly permit it.

Wear loose, clean clothing that is easy to remove. After facial or breast surgery, a shirt that fastens at the front can be easier to wear. Leave jewellery, valuables, contact lenses, and body products at home. Follow any instruction to avoid makeup, creams, perfume, deodorant, or similar products.

Bring photo identification, your provincial health card if requested, medication information, clinic forms, and any prescribed garment. Before the procedure, confirm the operation and the area being treated with the surgical team.

Understand the Initial Recovery Period

Many cosmetic operations cause temporary swelling, bruising, soreness, tightness, tiredness, or reduced sensation. Use the clinic’s written directions for medicine, wound dressings, surgical drains, compression, bathing, sleep, and movement.

Do not change a medication’s dose or schedule without approval. Do not combine opioid pain medicine with alcohol, cannabis, sleep aids, or other sedating drugs unless a clinician has approved it. Possible opioid effects include nausea, constipation, poor judgment, drowsiness, and slow breathing. Store them securely and return unused medication through a pharmacy take-back program.

Light walking can support blood flow, while strenuous exercise and lifting may worsen swelling or bleeding. You should not drive until your judgment is clear, your movement is comfortable, and you can safely perform an emergency stop.

Know the Signs of a Complication

Contact your surgeon promptly if you have worsening redness, warmth, pus, bad-smelling drainage, increasing pain, a high or persistent fever, sudden swelling, an opening incision, uncontrolled vomiting, or a drain problem.

Call 911 or seek emergency care for trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, confusion, blue lips, uncontrolled bleeding, or signs of a serious allergic reaction. A blood clot may cause sudden pain in a leg or swelling that affects one calf. When a symptom could signal an emergency, seek help immediately instead of waiting for routine follow-up.

Final Cosmetic Surgery Preparation Checklist

I confirmed that my surgeon is licensed, properly trained, and experienced in my procedure.
The clinic or operating facility meets required provincial inspection or accreditation rules.
I disclosed my complete health history, medications, supplements, and substance use.
I understand when to avoid nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, food, liquids, and specific medications.
I understand the procedure, scars, recovery, risks, alternatives, and possible need for revision.
I completed all requested medical tests and reported any recent illness.
My ride home, adult supervision, caregiving needs, and work leave are organized.
My caregiver and I can access the recovery plan and all necessary clinic contact information.
The warning signs for routine, urgent, and emergency medical attention have been explained to me.

Prepare Carefully and Ask Questions

Cosmetic surgery preparation is strongest when it is individualized, medically sound, and based on achievable expectations. Do not rush the process of selecting a plastic surgeon, reducing preventable risks, and preparing your home support. Before surgery day, confirm anything you do not fully understand with your care team. Questions about fasting, medications, wound care, and complications should always be directed to the surgical team.

This page provides general education and does not replace advice from your plastic surgeon, anesthesiologist, family doctor, pharmacist, or other regulated health professional.

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HOW TO GET READY FOR COSMETIC SURGERY

How to Get Ready for Cosmetic Surgery