What should I avoid before any cosmetic procedure?

Before you undergo any type of cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure, it is important to review the list of medications with your doctor. In my practice with plastic surgical patients, they are to refrain from taking aspirin produces, including Advil, Motrin, Excedrin, ibuprofen, as well as to refrain from alcohol.  They also should review their list of medications with the anesthesiologist in order to review any type of cross reactivity of medications with the anesthetic agents.

With every type of treatment:

• Stop using chemicals on your skin three days before. That means retinoids, acids, scrubs, benzoyl peroxide, and active ingredients in cosmeceuticals. The skin can react differently since it's already more sensitive or slightly irritated by these topical ingredients. This can create complications during the procedure or cause the doctor not to get the desired end result. Use the barest minimum for three days before and at least three days after, depending on the treatment you've had.
• Take your makeup off before the procedure. This is most important with laser treatments, since the light source targets pigment and can interact with cosmetics on your skin. It's also smart to take it off before injections because makeup can be unsanitary.
• If you are prone to herpes, fever blisters, or any kind of infection on your face (even acne), pretreat and posttreat it with the proper medication before and after your procedure. Any treatment can cause stress to the skin that may cause a flare-up of a skin condition.

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