Before an aesthetic procedure: which medicines to keep, which to disclose

"Should I stop my medicines before a procedure?"

Search online and you will often see advice like "stop a few days before." But why a medicine was prescribed differs from person to person. Stopping blood-pressure medicine for a few days on your own is a completely different act from pausing a dietary supplement.

So the answer is one line: keep taking what you take, and bring only a clear list. Whether anything needs adjusting — and how — is a decision for the prescribing clinician and the procedure clinician together. What you do is build an accurate list. Cellinique Clinic — a 10-minute walk from Apgujeong Station, at 228 Dosan-daero — summarizes what we check in consultation.

3-line summary

1. Keep taking your medicines and bring the list only. Adjustment decisions belong to the clinicians.
2. Write down three things: prescription medicines · over-the-counter medicines · health supplements. Supplements must not be skipped.
3. Medicines that affect how blood clots matter especially for procedures that involve injection or harvesting — they connect directly to bleeding and bruising.

1. How to build the list

You do not need a formal medical summary. One phone note is enough.

Category	What to write	Commonly missed
Prescription medicines	Name, reason for taking, when you started	Prescriptions from departments other than dermatology
Over-the-counter medicines	Pain relievers, cold medicines, recent use	Pain relievers taken only sometimes
Health supplements	Product name or main ingredient	Thinking "supplements are not medicines"

The most frequently skipped row is the third. Health supplements do not require a prescription, so many people do not treat them as "medicine" — yet depending on ingredients they can still relate to a procedure plan.

Fact check — evidence level: regulator consumer guidance

The U.S. FDA provides consumer guidance that taking medicines and dietary supplements together can affect your health, and recommends telling your clinician when you use both.
This guidance is written for U.S. consumers; the impact of any specific ingredient and combination depends on why you take it and on your health status. (Source: FDA, Mixing Medications and Dietary Supplements Can Endanger Your Health)

Photos work well too. A few shots of pill envelopes or supplement bottles are often more accurate than a hand-copied list.

If you take several items at different times of day, note morning versus evening when you can. Timing is not always required for a first pass, but it helps the consultation when two products look similar or when you started something only recently. Write the list in the language you use every day; the clinic can map names during review. What matters is that nothing important is left out because it "did not feel like medicine."

2. Medicines that affect bleeding are the priority

Among all items, medicines that involve the blood-clotting process are always checked in consultation. For procedures with injection or harvesting steps, they connect directly to bleeding and bruising.

Fact check — evidence level: systematic review · literature review

Bleeding complications of skin surgery during antithrombotic therapy have been examined in systematic review and meta-analysis, and a literature review on management of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in aesthetic surgery has also been published. This is an area where you can ask what evidence informs practice.
Literature addresses group-level tendencies; whether an individual needs adjustment still depends on the prescription purpose and the type of procedure. (Sources: PubMed 34132885, 40461841)

What matters is that the literature is about management approaches, not a blanket ban. Being on therapy usually leads to planning and coordination questions. That is why the right path is judgment in consultation, not stopping on your own.

When you prepare the list, mark any item related to heart, vessel, or clot prevention so it is easy to find. You do not need to decide the plan yourself — flagging these items simply helps the conversation start in the right place. If you are unsure whether something counts, include it; leaving a borderline item on the list is safer than guessing that it is irrelevant.

3. Why stopping on your own is risky

Medicines are prescribed for a reason. Stopping for a few days without knowing that reason can destabilize the original treatment. This is especially true for cardiovascular and endocrine prescriptions.

There is a misunderstanding in the other direction too: thinking "it is only an aesthetic procedure, so I do not need to mention it." But injection and harvesting are medical procedures on the body, and medicines you take can still affect recovery.

In short: do not stop, and do not hide. Sharing the list solves both problems at once.

If a family member or caregiver usually manages your medicines, bring them into the note-making step. Many missed items are not intentional — they are simply outside what you personally pack for a clinic visit. A complete list protects the condition you are already treating as much as it supports the procedure you are considering.

4. What we check differs by procedure type

Procedure family	What we look at especially regarding medicines
Injectables (skin boosters · fillers)	Medicines linked to bleeding and bruising
Energy-based (lifting · laser)	Photosensitivity-related medicines; skin response influences
Autologous (SVF · PRF)	Systemic evaluation — harvesting is included, so the scope is wider

Approaches that include fat harvesting require prior health evaluation, so medicine review is also more thorough. Details are in our SVF recovery guide.

Ingredients people often forget

Many health supplements are marketed around circulation or inflammation. If the marketing points that way, the ingredients may act in that direction — so write why you take each product as well.

Items that often fall off the list include common nutrients such as omega-3 and vitamin E, herbal medicines or decoction-shop products, diet aids, and sleep- or fatigue-related products. People skip them because they think "this is not medicine."

You do not need the exact chemical name. One photo of the bottle is enough for consultation review.

If you recently started or stopped a product for a special event, travel, or a cold, put that timeline on the note too. A short "started two weeks ago" or "took a cold medicine last weekend" line prevents the consultation from reconstructing your history from memory alone.

5. How the consultation conversation usually goes

Once you share the list, consultation typically moves in this order. Knowing the flow makes preparation easier.

First we confirm why each medicine is taken. The same ingredient can lead to different judgments depending on purpose. Next we look at how it relates to the planned procedure — injection-only versus harvesting changes the review scope. Finally we decide who to involve if adjustment is needed. Discussion with the prescribing clinician is often required.

In that process, the procedure date may be rescheduled. That is a normal outcome, not a failure of preparation.

You can also ask which parts of the list matter most for your specific plan and which are mainly for the record. That keeps the conversation practical. If you need time to contact another clinic or pharmacy for records, say so early so the schedule accounts for it.

6. The list is used after the procedure too

The medication list is not only a pre-procedure formality. When a reaction after treatment differs from what was expected, it becomes judgment material.

So do not delete the list you made for consultation — keep it. If you need to contact us afterward, we will look at that list again. Storing the procedure date and material information with it is even better. General observation points are on our treatment safety page.

Save the list where you can open it quickly on your phone. Aftercare questions are easier when both sides can refer to the same written set of names rather than reconstructing what was said weeks earlier.

7. Pre-consultation checklist

□ Did you write prescription names and why you take them
□ Did you include recent over-the-counter medicines (pain relievers · cold medicines)
□ Did you include health supplements and nutrients
□ Did you photograph pill envelopes or product bottles
□ Did you avoid stopping anything on your own
□ If you have past drug allergy or adverse reactions, did you include them
□ Do you know the procedure type (whether injection or harvesting is included)
□ Did you save the list somewhere you can keep after the procedure

Bring the checklist on paper or on your phone. An empty box is a reason to complete the note before you leave home — not something to guess during the visit.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Should I stop my medicines a few days before the procedure?

Keep taking them as usual. Medicines are prescribed for a reason, and stopping without knowing that reason can destabilize the original treatment. Share the list and clinicians will judge whether any adjustment is needed.

Q2. Do I need to mention supplements too?

Yes. Health supplements often are not seen as "medicine" because no prescription is required, yet ingredients can still relate to a procedure. The FDA also recommends telling your clinician when you take medicines and dietary supplements together.

Q3. If I take clot-related medicine, can I not have a procedure?

Related literature focuses on management approaches. These items still connect directly to bleeding and bruising, so they are always checked in consultation, and if adjustment is needed it is decided with the prescribing clinician.

Q4. What if I do not know the medicine names?

Photograph the pill envelope or product bottle and bring the photos. That is often more accurate than a hand-copied list. You may also request records from the clinic that prescribed the medicines.

Q5. They delayed my schedule after I shared the list.

That is a normal conclusion. When adjustment is needed, time to coordinate with the prescribing clinician is required — and that is what makes the plan safer. Ask when to return for the next consultation.

Q6. Do omega-3 and vitamins need to be listed too?

Yes. Common nutrients such as omega-3 and vitamin E, herbal or decoction-shop products, diet aids, and sleep- or fatigue-related products are frequently missed items. Even without exact ingredient names, one bottle photo is enough for consultation review.

Q7. Is the list still needed after the procedure?

Keep it. When a post-procedure reaction differs from expectation, it becomes judgment material. Stored with the procedure date and material information, it is reused in later conversations.

Consultation information

Cellinique Clinic is at Yeonseung Building, 228 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — about a 10-minute walk from Apgujeong Station or Hakdong Station. Medical Director Dr. Kim Gun-woo handles prior health evaluation, treatment, and aftercare directly. We review the medication list you prepare in consultation, and the full pre-procedure health questionnaire is summarized in our pre-procedure health status guide.

This article is general information and does not replace medical care. Diagnosis and plans suited to your condition should be confirmed in consultation.