Preparing for plastic surgery: what to tell your surgeon and anaesthetist

Before plastic surgery, the surgeon and anaesthetist need information that may affect the individual plan. You do not have to decide which medicines or conditions are important enough to mention. Prepare a complete account and let the clinical team clarify relevance. For treatment abroad, confirm that records have reached the medical professionals themselves.

Create one current health summary

List medical conditions, operations, hospital admissions and ongoing specialist care. Attach relevant dated reports. NHS anaesthesia information describes preoperative assessment and discussion of health, medicines and allergic reactions. Your team determines which investigations are needed.

Distinguish current problems from historical ones. If an older diagnosis is not documented, state where the information comes from. Do not shorten the history simply to obtain confirmation of a preferred operation date.

Make the medicine list understandable

Include prescriptions, non-prescription products and supplements, using active ingredients where possible. Record who prescribed them and add a packaging photograph if translation is difficult. An overseas clinician may not recognise a brand used in another country.

Request an individual written plan for medicines before and after surgery. If this needs agreement with your local prescriber, clarify who arranges it. Do not stop or change treatment independently because similar instructions appeared in a general leaflet.

Explain previous anaesthesia and concerns

Describe previous reactions in everyday language and provide anaesthetic records if available. Avoid labelling every unpleasant experience an allergy without explaining what happened. Tell the team about fears, communication difficulties and the support you would find helpful.

If a relative’s presence makes a candid discussion difficult, request a private part of the appointment with the clinician and interpreter. Clarify which questions belong with the surgeon, which with the anaesthetist and when each conversation will happen.

Keep the information up to date

Ask where to report a new illness, symptom or treatment change between consultation and surgery. Keep a direct route to a clinical member of staff. Sending a message is not the same as receiving an assessment; ask the team to confirm that the update has been reviewed.

Obtain understandable instructions about food, drink and preparation. Check dates and local times. If documents conflict, ask the team to resolve the difference before following them rather than selecting whichever version is more convenient.

Describe the actual recovery arrangements

Explain where you will stay, who will help and the journey planned after discharge. Ask the team to assess those arrangements and provide individual recommendations. Use the site’s hospital directory to start an enquiry and include assistance in your treatment travel plan. Before surgery, confirm a responsible clinician, understandable consent and the next contact. Preparation allows decisions to use current information, including a change to the original plan where necessary.