# Your facelift checklist: preparing for surgery and recovery

[Dr. Walter Zamarian Jr.](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/dr-zamarian/) · CRM/PR 17.388 · RQE 15.688
October 24, 2026

[Read the article ↓](#leitura)

## At a glance

I start planning for a facelift well before the day of surgery. The essentials are a medical and anesthesia assessment, the tests requested for your case, a medication and smoking review, someone to help you, and arrangements for follow-up. After surgery, your individual instructions and progress matter more than a date on a calendar. A checklist cannot clear you to work, exercise, or fly.

This guide helps you keep track of the practical steps once you are preparing for treatment. If you are still deciding whether to book, start with [the questions to ask before arranging a facelift in Brazil](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/blog/planning-a-facelift-in-brazil-safety-questions-before-you-book/). That article covers the earlier decision about care, travel, and responsibilities.

## First, make sure I have the information that matters

Before we work through a checklist, I need to understand your concerns, health, and expectations. Tell me about previous operations, medical conditions, allergies, medicines, supplements, and facial treatments. Include products you take occasionally and anything you may not think of as medication, such as herbal remedies or compounded products.

We also discuss the areas involved: facial laxity, the neck, eyelids, and loss of volume. Combining procedures can change both preparation and recovery. It is not an automatic way to improve a plan. My [deep plane facelift guide](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/) explains how I consider these concerns together.

The [American Society of Plastic Surgeons includes medical assessment, medication review, and stopping smoking in facelift preparation](https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/facelift/preparation). These are useful starting points. They do not mean that everyone needs an identical set of tests or instructions.

## As soon as you begin planning surgery

### Gather your records and requested tests

Check which tests have been requested and how to send the results to the team. Your medical history, current treatment, and proposed operation help determine what is needed. Please do not wait until the day before surgery to share a test result or a new health concern that might require further assessment.

The [preoperative tests page](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/patient-journey/preoperative-tests/) explains the purpose of this stage. If something is unclear, ask before arranging tests independently or assuming a previous result will be sufficient.

### Be open about smoking and nicotine

Tell me if you smoke, vape, or use nicotine products, including patches or gum. Plan smoking cessation early and discuss suitable support with the team. The [American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends stopping as early as possible and discussing smoking with your anesthesiologist](https://madeforthismoment.asahq.org/preparing-for-surgery/risks/smoking/).

If stopping has been difficult, I need to know. Hiding that difficulty because you are worried about postponement makes planning harder. Another patient’s schedule is not a substitute for an individual discussion about preparation and recovery.

### Review all medicines, including weight-loss treatment

Bring a list of the names, prescribed doses, and frequency of your medicines and supplements. Blood thinners, anti-inflammatory medicines, and supplements need review, but you should not stop them on your own. The clinician who prescribed a treatment may need to be involved in the plan.

My team’s protocol asks patients to stop GLP-1 medicines three weeks before surgery. This is our practice protocol, to be arranged with the surgical team, anesthesiologist, and prescribing clinician. It is not an instruction to stop treatment after reading this page. Tell us early if you use these medicines, particularly if they are part of your diabetes care.

Published guidance is not uniform. The [2024 multisociety guidance announced by the ASA](https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2024/10/new-multi-society-glp-1-guidance) allows many patients to continue treatment and calls for individual risk assessment. I distinguish our protocol from a universal recommendation, and ask you to agree on your plan directly with the clinicians involved.

## Before surgery week, arrange practical support

I’d prefer that you settle the practical arrangements while there is time to think them through. Check:

- who will accompany you for admission, discharge, and appointments;
 
- how you will travel between your accommodation, the hospital, and the clinic;
 
- who can help with everyday tasks during early recovery;
 
- where you will keep your written instructions and the team’s contact details;
 
- which work or family commitments may need to change.

Choose comfortable clothing that opens at the front and a quiet place to rest. Discuss food, sleeping position, and any supplies in your individual instructions. Do not buy wound-care products or medicines simply because they appear on someone else’s online list.

For patients traveling to Londrina, my usual plan is arrival two days before surgery, with the in-person consultation and photographs on the preceding day. I ask for at least 12 postoperative days in Londrina and prefer 14 when possible. These are arrangements for care, not automatic clearance for a return flight.

## The day before: confirm rather than improvise

Read the fasting instructions provided by the anesthesia team and confirm how to take any medicines you have been told to continue. Ask if the wording is unclear. Do not change the fasting period yourself.

Set aside your documents, test results, and clothing. Confirm the admission time and location, along with instructions about makeup, jewelry, and contact lenses. My [preoperative instructions page](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/patient-journey/preoperative-instructions/) outlines this stage of the journey.

For facelift surgery, I use total intravenous general anesthesia, or TIVA, with propofol and remifentanil. Anesthesia assessment and monitoring are part of hospital care. Naming the technique does not replace your assessment or mean that procedures performed on their own follow the same anesthetic plan.

## Day zero and day one: understand the counting

The day of surgery is day zero. The following day is day one. I use this convention when explaining appointments and the early recovery schedule.

Follow the instructions given to you after surgery for rest, medicines, and care. Swelling, tightness, and discomfort can occur. That does not mean every change or degree of discomfort should be dismissed as normal without assessment.

In my usual routine, I assess you before discharge the following morning. Discharge depends on your progress. Keep your companion informed and avoid treating the anticipated discharge time as a fixed departure appointment.

## Around 48 hours: review and hemostatic net removal

I use the Auersvald hemostatic net in my facelifts and do not use drains in that practice. The net is removed at approximately 48 hours in the office, with appropriate care for your comfort. This describes my protocol; it does not promise that bleeding or other complications cannot occur.

The temporary net stitches are not all the stitches from the operation. Removing the net does not finish your follow-up or clear you to travel or resume activities. My [hemostatic net page](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/surgery/hemostatic-net/) explains the approach and its limits.

## During the first week, keep your appointments

Take medicines only as prescribed and follow your wound-care instructions. Confirm the recommended sleeping position and which movements or exertion to avoid. Do not add massage, lymphatic drainage, or products over the incisions without guidance.

When you contact the team about a change, explain when it began, whether it is increasing, and whether one side looks or feels different from the other. You do not need to wait for a scheduled appointment to raise a concern. The article on [pain after a facelift](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/blog/pain-after-a-facelift-what-to-report-and-when-to-seek-help/) can help you describe what you are experiencing.

## Know when to seek medical help

Shortness of breath or chest pain requires emergency care where you are. Do not wait for a WhatsApp reply. Persistent bleeding, severe pain, sudden swelling on one side of the face, fever, or a marked change in skin color also needs immediate assessment. Contact the team; if prompt care is not available through that route, seek urgent medical attention locally.

I would rather hear your concern than have you try to fit a worrying symptom into an expected recovery calendar. Keep the instructions and contact arrangements available to your companion as well as to you.

## In the following weeks, ask about each activity separately

Swelling and bruising generally settle gradually, but not at the same pace for everyone. Returning to work also depends on the job itself, commuting, and the demands of your day. Desk work, exercise, sun exposure, and travel are separate decisions.

Ask when you may use makeup, resume exercise, and travel. Stitch removal does not mean healing is complete. The [postoperative instructions page](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/patient-journey/postoperative-instructions/) explains follow-up; the instructions for your case take priority over a general week-by-week guide.

## Keep follow-up in your plans for the months ahead

Your appearance continues to change as swelling settles and scars mature. I do not judge the result from one early photograph. In my practice, follow-up continues for a year, with online reviews when appropriate. Remote care does not replace a physical examination or local medical help when either is needed.

Before you leave Londrina, clarify the next appointments and any records you should take home. Leave room for a change in plans if I need to reassess you. The [CDC advises travelers receiving medical care abroad to plan follow-up and access to care after returning home](https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/health-care-abroad/medical-tourism.html).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use this checklist instead of my consultation instructions?

No. I use it to help you see what needs to be organized. Tests, medicines, fasting, and activity clearance depend on your case and the instructions from your team.

### Does everyone need the same tests?

No. I plan that stage around your medical history, current treatment, and proposed surgery, together with the anesthesia assessment.

### Are all the stitches removed with the hemostatic net?

No. The net is removed at around 48 hours. Other stitches and appointments follow the plan for your operation.

### Should I stop a medicine now to get ahead of preparation?

Do not stop prescribed treatment on your own. Tell the team what you take and agree on any changes with the relevant clinicians.

## Bring your outstanding questions to the assessment

If you would like to understand how these steps apply to you, [contact Bruna to discuss arranging an assessment and planning your facelift](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/contact/). A useful checklist helps you ask questions; your individual plan is developed in consultation.

## Sources

- ASPS. [Facelift preparation](https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/facelift/preparation).
 
- ASA. [Smoking and anesthesia](https://madeforthismoment.asahq.org/preparing-for-surgery/risks/smoking/).
 
- ASA and participating societies. [Multisociety guidance on GLP-1 medicines before surgery, 2024](https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2024/10/new-multi-society-glp-1-guidance).
 
- CDC. [Medical Tourism — Yellow Book 2026](https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/health-care-abroad/medical-tourism.html).

The anesthesia, hemostatic net, removal appointment, GLP-1 protocol, and follow-up arrangements described here identify my practice. Your individual plan must be confirmed with the team.

[Planning your facelift](https://deepplanefaceliftbrazil.com/blog/category/planning-your-facelift/)

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