How to Prepare for Facial Plastic Surgery The Complete Pre-Op Checklist

Most of the information patients get about preparing for facial plastic surgery is scattered across a pre-operative packet, a few verbal instructions during a consultation, and whatever a patient coordinator remembers to mention on the phone. It's not that the information doesn't exist, it's that it rarely exists in one place, organized by when you actually need to act on it. This is that document: a single, chronological checklist covering everything from eight weeks out to the morning of surgery.

This is general guidance applicable across most facial plastic procedures, facelift, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, brow lift, and similar surgeries performed under sedation or general anesthesia.

Your specific surgical team will give you instructions tailored to your exact procedure and health history, and those specific instructions always take precedence over general guidance like this. Think of this as the framework that helps you understand why each instruction matters, so you're not just following a list blindly.

Six to Eight Weeks Before Surgery

Complete any required medical clearance. If your medical history includes cardiac issues, a bleeding disorder, or other conditions that warrant clearance from a specialist before anesthesia, this is the window to get it done, not the week before surgery, when a delayed specialist appointment can push your entire surgical date.

Schedule pre-operative lab work. Most practices require bloodwork within a certain window before surgery, often 30 days or less. If you're traveling from out of town, ask whether this can be completed through your local physician and the results sent ahead, which saves you a day locally before surgery.

Start planning your recovery support. Facial surgery under sedation or general anesthesia requires a companion to drive you home and, realistically, help you for at least the first 24 to 48 hours. If you're traveling from out of town, this is the point to confirm who's traveling with you and for how long, and to book accommodations accordingly.

Review your medication and supplement list with your surgical team. Certain medications and supplements increase bleeding risk and need to be stopped well in advance, commonly aspirin, ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, fish oil, vitamin E in high doses, and certain herbal supplements like ginkgo biloba, garlic supplements, and St. John's Wort. Your surgical team will give you a specific list, but flagging everything you currently take, including things that don't feel like "medications," like daily vitamins or protein powders with added ingredients, during this window avoids a last-minute scramble.

Three to Four Weeks Before Surgery

Stop smoking and nicotine products, fully, if you haven't already. This is one of the least negotiable instructions in facial plastic surgery, and for good reason, nicotine constricts blood vessels and significantly impairs healing, particularly relevant for procedures like facelifts where the health of the skin flap depends on adequate blood supply. This includes vaping and nicotine replacement products, not just cigarettes. Most surgeons require a minimum of two to four weeks nicotine-free before surgery and the same period after, and some require longer for more extensive procedures.

Arrange time off work. Confirm your recovery timeline with your surgical team based on your specific procedure, and request the appropriate time off now, before scheduling conflicts make last-minute changes difficult. Recovery timelines vary considerably, skin pinch blepharoplasty might mean a week away from work, while a full deep plane facelift often means two to three weeks before most patients feel comfortable in a professional setting.

Stock your recovery space at home. Set up wherever you'll be recovering, ideally somewhere you can sleep elevated (extra pillows or a wedge pillow), with easy access to a bathroom, and away from stairs if possible for the first several days. Stock soft, easy-to-eat foods, since chewing and jaw movement are often limited or uncomfortable after facial procedures, particularly anything involving the lower face or jaw.

One to Two Weeks Before Surgery

Confirm your prescriptions are ready to be filled. Your surgical team will typically send prescriptions, pain medication, antibiotics if applicable, and sometimes anti-nausea medication, either before surgery so you can have them filled and on hand at home, or immediately after, depending on the practice's protocol. Confirm which applies to you and have a plan for picking them up, especially if you won't have a companion available to run errands in the first days after surgery.

Do your grocery shopping and meal prep in advance. This is the kind of practical step that gets skipped in most pre-op instructions but makes a genuine difference to comfort in the first week. Prepare or purchase soft foods, soups, smoothies, mashed vegetables, yogurt, and have them ready in the freezer or fridge so you're not relying on delivery or asking a tired companion to cook.

Arrange help with pets, children, or other responsibilities. Be realistic about what you can manage in the first week. Lifting, bending over, and general physical exertion are typically restricted for at least the first week or two, which affects things like walking a dog, lifting a young child, or managing household tasks that involve bending or reaching overhead.

Attend your final pre-operative appointment. This is when your surgical team confirms the surgical plan, answers any last questions, and gives you final, procedure-specific instructions, including exact timing for when to stop eating and drinking before surgery.

The Week of Surgery

Fill all prescriptions if you haven't already, so they're on hand at home before you're recovering and less able to run errands.

Confirm your ride and companion arrangements for surgery day and, if relevant, for the first several days of recovery.

Avoid alcohol for at least a few days before surgery, as instructed by your surgical team, alcohol can interact with anesthesia and also has a mild blood-thinning effect.

Wash your hair and any related self-care the day before, since depending on your specific procedure, you may be limited in how you can wash and style your hair for the first several days after surgery, particularly relevant for facelift and brow lift patients.

Lay out comfortable, front-opening clothing for surgery day and the days immediately following, anything that doesn't need to go over your head is significantly easier to manage with facial swelling, bandages, or drains, if applicable to your procedure.

The Night Before Surgery

Follow fasting instructions exactly. Your surgical team will give you a specific cutoff time for eating and, separately, for drinking clear liquids before anesthesia. This isn't a flexible guideline, eating or drinking outside the instructed window can result in your surgery being postponed for safety reasons, since anesthesia carries a risk of aspiration if your stomach isn't sufficiently empty.

Remove nail polish, if instructed. Some practices ask patients to remove nail polish, since a pulse oximeter (the clip placed on a finger during surgery to monitor oxygen levels) can read less accurately through certain polishes.

Get genuine rest. This sounds obvious, but pre-surgery nerves often mean patients don't prioritize sleep the night before. A well-rested body handles anesthesia and the early stages of healing measurably better than an exhausted one.

Set an alarm with buffer time. Most surgical facilities ask patients to arrive well before the actual procedure time, to complete final check-in, change into a surgical gown, and meet briefly with the anesthesia team. Build in more time than you think you need, particularly if you're navigating Beverly Hills traffic or driving in from out of town.

Morning of Surgery

Wear comfortable, easy-to-remove clothing and skip makeup, lotion, and, in most cases, contact lenses, your surgical team will give you specific guidance here, since some of these can interfere with monitoring equipment or the surgical field itself.

Bring a companion who can stay for the duration, and who's prepared to receive post-operative instructions on your behalf, since you'll likely still be groggy from anesthesia when instructions are given.

Bring a form of ID and any final paperwork requested by the practice, along with your insurance card if relevant to any portion of your visit, even though the surgery itself is elective and not insurance-covered.

Leave valuables at home. Jewelry, in particular, should be removed before surgery, and it's simpler to leave it at home entirely than to manage it at the surgical facility.

What Your Surgical Team Actually Wants From You in This Process

More than any specific item on this list, what matters most is honest, complete communication. Surgical teams ask detailed questions about medical history, medications, supplements, and lifestyle factors like smoking not to be invasive, but because incomplete information is one of the most preventable causes of surgical complications. If you're unsure whether something is relevant to mention, a supplement you take occasionally, an old medical history item that feels irrelevant, a vaping habit you're embarrassed to disclose, the safer assumption is always to mention it. Surgical teams have heard everything, and the goal is a safe outcome, not judgment.

Careful preparation genuinely changes the surgical and recovery experience, patients who arrive well-prepared, both logistically and medically, tend to report smoother recoveries and fewer surprises. If you have questions specific to your procedure that aren't covered by this general checklist, schedule a consultation to get guidance tailored to your surgical plan.