Pre-operative instructions for liposuction —
fasting, medication and supplements at ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam.
Stop blood-thinning supplements two weeks before, alcohol and smoking at least one to two weeks before, and food six hours before if you are having sedation. Bring your medication list, wear loose dark clothing, and arrange someone to walk you back to your hotel. ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam sends this list in writing when you book; here it is in full, with the reasons, so nothing on surgery day is a surprise.
Most liposuction complications that are preventable are prevented in the two weeks before, not in the operating room. ARTNER Cheongdam's pre-op list is short, and every line has a reason.
You have a date in Cheongdam and want to arrive ready.
- You take supplements and are not sure which matter.
- You are on a daily medication and do not want to stop it blindly.
- You drink socially and want to know the cut-off.
- You are flying in and have one day before surgery.
- You want to know what to eat, wear and bring.
Work backward from your surgery date using the timeline below.
The two-week countdown before Cheongdam
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks before | Stop fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo, ginseng, garlic and turmeric supplements; stop aspirin and NSAIDs unless prescribed for a condition | They thin the blood and increase bruising and bleeding |
| 2 weeks before | Stop smoking and vaping; reduce alcohol | Nicotine impairs skin healing and retraction; alcohol increases bleeding and swelling |
| 1 week before | No alcohol at all; confirm medication plan with ARTNER Cheongdam | Clearance window for bleeding risk |
| 3 days before | Light, low-salt meals; hydrate well | Less swelling after surgery |
| Night before | Shower with antibacterial soap; no lotion or oil on the area; lay out loose clothes | Clean skin, easy dressing |
| Morning of | Fast 6 hours if sedation planned; sips of water allowed to 2 hours before; take approved medication with a sip | Sedation safety |
Medication: what continues, what pauses in Gangnam
Never stop a prescribed medication without the director's instruction. ARTNER Cheongdam reviews your list at consultation and tells you line by line.
| Medication | At ARTNER Cheongdam |
|---|---|
| Blood pressure medication | Continue, including the morning of surgery |
| Statins, thyroid medication | Continue |
| Diabetes medication / insulin | Continue with a dose plan for the fasting morning; glucose checked on the day |
| Aspirin for heart or stroke prevention | Only paused if your prescribing doctor agrees in writing |
| Warfarin, DOACs, clopidogrel | Surgery only with a documented pause approved by your doctor; otherwise declined |
| Oral contraceptives, HRT | Usually continue; discussed if other clot risks are present |
| GLP-1 (Wegovy, Mounjaro) | Skip the dose in the week of surgery if sedation is planned — gastric emptying is slowed |
| Antidepressants, anxiolytics | Continue; tell us so sedation is dosed correctly |
How we screen medical conditions in the first place: am I a candidate for liposuction?
Supplements and herbal products
This is where most patients are caught out. Fish oil, omega-3, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, garlic extract, turmeric and curcumin, St John's wort and high-dose green tea extract all affect bleeding or interact with sedation. Stop them two weeks before surgery at ARTNER Cheongdam. A standard multivitamin, vitamin C and vitamin D can continue. If you are unsure about a product, photograph the label and send it on WhatsApp.
Alcohol, smoking and caffeine
Alcohol dilates blood vessels, increases bleeding and swelling and dehydrates you; none for a week before and two weeks after. Smoking and vaping constrict skin blood vessels and slow healing and skin retraction — the effect is large enough that ARTNER Cheongdam asks for two weeks off before and four after, and longer where skin recoil is already reduced. Nicotine patches and gum count. Caffeine is fine in normal amounts; skip it on the morning of surgery if you are having sedation.
Why smoking matters so much for skin: loose skin after liposuction.
Fasting and the morning of surgery in Cheongdam
If IV sedation is planned, no food for six hours before your appointment and clear fluids only until two hours before. If you are having awake liposuction under local anaesthesia alone, a light breakfast two to three hours before is encouraged — low blood sugar makes the tumescent phase less comfortable. ARTNER Cheongdam confirms which applies when the plan is written.
Take approved morning medication with a sip of water. Do not apply lotion, oil, perfume or deodorant to the treatment area. Remove jewellery and nail polish on at least one finger so the oxygen monitor reads correctly.
What the day itself looks like: day of liposuction at ARTNER Cheongdam.
What to wear and bring to Cheongdam
Loose, dark, front-opening clothes you do not mind getting tumescent fluid on — a zip hoodie and soft trousers are ideal; nothing that goes over the head if the arms or chest are treated. Slip-on shoes. Your passport, medication list, and the written plan from consultation. Your phone charged for WhatsApp updates. Someone to walk you back to your hotel if you are having sedation; a taxi alone is acceptable after local-only awake liposuction.
ARTNER Cheongdam provides the compression garment, absorbent pads and dressings — you do not need to buy them.
Packing for the whole trip: what to pack for a liposuction trip.
If you arrive the day before surgery
Many international patients land in Seoul the day before. That is fine: hydrate on the flight, skip alcohol in the air, eat a normal dinner in Gangnam, and sleep. Jet lag does not affect the procedure. If you have a long-haul flight of more than eight hours, the director prefers surgery on day two rather than day one to let fluid balance settle — ARTNER Cheongdam will tell you when booking.
In short — Before liposuction at ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam: stop blood-thinning supplements, aspirin and NSAIDs two weeks out, stop smoking two weeks out, no alcohol for a week, continue blood-pressure and most prescribed medication, pause anticoagulants only with your doctor's written approval, fast six hours if sedation is planned, and arrive in loose dark front-opening clothes with your medication list.
Treated at ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam — The written pre-op list is sent when you book ART-FAT awake liposuction in Cheongdam, Gangnam — priced per area from ₩1,190,000 — and compression garment, pads and dressings are provided by the clinic. ARTNER Cheongdam is an internal-medicine-led body contouring clinic in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at 2F–3F, 38 Apgujeong-ro 80-gil — a flat five-minute walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station Exit 4 and 60–90 minutes from Incheon Airport. Consultations for international patients are held in English, with Chinese and Japanese support, and the KRW price list in Gangnam is identical for Korean and foreign patients. Explore ART-FAT awake liposuction in Cheongdam, Gangnam, directions and booking in Cheongdam, the Cheongdam price list or all ARTNER Cheongdam guides.
The internal-medicine specialist who makes this call in Cheongdam.
The supplements are what catch people. Fish oil, ginkgo, turmeric — all harmless in daily life, all a problem in the two weeks before I operate. Send me a photo of the bottle; I would rather answer that than manage a bruise.
- Dr. Hye-woo Pyeon — Internal Medicine Specialist, Director of ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam
- Yeungnam University College of Medicine · Sungkyunkwan University Bioengineering
- Former Internal Medicine Specialist, Gachon University Gil Medical Center
- Member, Korean Society for the Study of Obesity & Korean Association of Internal Medicine
- Developer of the ARTNER signature protocols — ARTNER Injection · ART-FAT · ART-TUNE · ART-CELL
Pre-operative questions answered by ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam.
Two weeks before: fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo, ginseng, garlic, turmeric, St John's wort, aspirin and NSAIDs unless prescribed. Never stop prescription medication without ARTNER Cheongdam's instruction.
Yes, including on the morning of surgery, with a sip of water.
Surgery only with a documented pause approved by your prescribing doctor. If it cannot be paused safely, ARTNER Cheongdam declines rather than operates.
Two weeks before and four weeks after, including vaping, patches and gum. Nicotine slows skin healing and retraction.
Six hours without food if IV sedation is planned, clear fluids until two hours before. For awake liposuction under local only, a light meal two to three hours before is encouraged.
Skip the dose in the week of surgery if sedation is planned, because GLP-1 medication slows stomach emptying. Confirm with the director at consultation.
Loose, dark, front-opening clothes and slip-on shoes. Nothing over the head if arms or chest are treated. The clinic provides the compression garment and dressings.
After flights over eight hours the director prefers day two to let fluid balance settle. Short-haul arrivals can have surgery the next day.
Send your medication list —
we will mark what to pause.
Message ARTNER Cheongdam, Gangnam on WhatsApp with a photo of your medications and supplements and your surgery date. An English reply within 24 hours tells you line by line what continues, what pauses, and when.
This guide is general medical information and does not replace an individual consultation. Individual results vary, and whether a treatment is appropriate is decided by an internal-medicine specialist after examination. Prices are in KRW, exclude VAT and follow the published price list. ARTNER Cheongdam · 2F–3F, 38 Apgujeong-ro 80-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul · 5 min from Apgujeong Rodeo Station Exit 4 · Contact & directions · All Cheongdam guides