The 20 mistakes to avoid before and after cosmetic surgery
Most things that go wrong around cosmetic surgery are not surgical. They happen in the weeks before, when a decision is rushed or something is left unsaid, and in the weeks after, when someone feels well enough to ignore an instruction.
Here are twenty of them: ten before the operation, ten after.
In short: what are the main mistakes to avoid?
Before surgery, the costly mistakes are choosing on price, not checking who will operate, withholding part of your medical history, and booking in a hurry. Afterwards, they are doing too much too soon, abandoning the compression garment, exposing scars to the sun, and judging the result before it exists.
Why preparation matters on both sides of the operation
A procedure occupies a few hours. The preparation before it and the recovery after it occupy several months, and that is where most of what you control actually sits.
None of what follows is difficult. It is mostly a matter of knowing it in advance.
Ten mistakes to avoid before surgery
1. Choosing on price alone
A quote should itemise the procedure, the clinic, the anaesthetic, aftercare and follow-up. A low figure often means something has been left out of it rather than discounted. Our prices page states what each package covers, and we explain the reasons behind the price difference in a separate article.
2. Not checking who will operate
Find out about their experience, their speciality, and how they explain the operation to you. A surgeon who explains clearly is usually a surgeon who operates clearly. Our partner surgeons' backgrounds are on the surgeons page.
3. Relying on social media
Before-and-after photographs show what a procedure achieved for someone else's anatomy. They are useful for understanding what is possible, and useless for predicting your own result.
4. Withholding part of your medical history
Conditions, previous operations, current treatment, allergies and smoking all need to reach both the surgeon and the anaesthetist. Leaving something out does not simplify your file; it makes the anaesthetic less safe.
5. Expecting perfection
Surgery improves. It does not guarantee a perfect outcome, and what is achievable depends on your anatomy, your skin and how you heal. We go through this in our fifteen questions to ask yourself.
6. Booking in a hurry
Limited-time offers are a sales technique, not a medical reason. Nothing about your result improves because you decided quickly.
7. Skipping the tests you were asked for
Tests not done, or sent too late, delay or postpone the operation. They are usually carried out in your own country around fifteen days before you travel.
8. Not asking about the anaesthetic
You should know which type is planned, who will administer it and how you will wake up. It is a substantial part of the procedure and it is rarely the part people ask about.
9. Not organising your recovery
Time off, help at home, loose clothing, your medication, your follow-up appointments. Arrange these before you travel, because the week after surgery is not when you want to be sorting them out. Our guide to how long to allow sets out what each stage needs.
10. Smoking before the operation
Nicotine reduces the blood supply that healing tissue depends on. Your surgeon may ask you to stop or cut down well before the date, and in some cases may postpone the procedure if you have not.
Ten mistakes to avoid after surgery
11. Doing too much too soon
Heavy lifting, long journeys or driving without clearance all increase swelling and bruising, and can set your recovery back further than the effort was worth.
12. Going back to exercise without medical clearance
Exercise puts tension on the operated areas, and what counts as exercise depends on where you were operated on. Ask rather than assume.
13. Removing dressings without being told to
They protect the operated areas while the skin is still fragile. Handling them without instruction disturbs healing and can affect how the scar settles.
14. Abandoning the compression garment
It supports the operated areas and limits fluid building up. It is uncomfortable, it is worn for longer than anyone would like, and it is one of the few parts of the result that is entirely in your hands.
15. Going out in the sun too early
Ultraviolet light on a healing scar causes pigmentation changes and makes the scar more visible for longer. We cover this in detail in our guide to how surgical scars evolve and how to care for them.
16. Judging the result too soon
Swelling, bruising and temporary asymmetry are normal in the early weeks. What you see at three weeks is not the result.
17. Ignoring an unusual sign
Intense pain, fever, spreading redness, discharge, bleeding or difficulty breathing all warrant medical advice quickly. Waiting to see whether it passes is the one mistake on this list that can matter in hours rather than months.
18. Taking medication without medical advice
Follow only what the medical team has prescribed, and check before taking anything else — including painkillers you would normally buy without thinking, and food supplements. Some increase bleeding, as we explain in our guide to pain after abdominal liposuction.
19. Neglecting the follow-up
Check-ups are how healing is monitored, and they continue remotely once you are home. They matter more for an international patient, not less.
20. Forgetting that results take time
The nose, the abdomen, the breasts and liposuction areas all settle at their own pace, and some take months. Patience is part of the treatment, however unsatisfying that is to read.
How to prepare properly
Everything above comes down to three habits: ask before you assume, tell your medical team everything, and follow the instructions after the operation as carefully as you researched before it.
If you want to go further, our twelve criteria for a serious clinic covers what to check about the facility, and our fifteen questions covers what to ask yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can I travel soon after cosmetic surgery?
Only once the medical team has confirmed it. The date depends on the procedure, how you are healing and how long the journey is, which is why a flexible return ticket is worth the extra cost.
Can I shower after cosmetic surgery?
It depends on the procedure and on your dressings. Your surgeon will tell you when, and it is worth asking before you leave the clinic rather than working it out at home.
How should I sleep after cosmetic surgery?
The position depends on where you were operated on — on your back after body contouring, on your front or side after a BBL, slightly raised after facial surgery. You will be given a specific instruction, and it matters more than it sounds.
Preparing your procedure with ServiHealth
ServiHealth organises and coordinates medical stays in Tunisia. We arrange the stay, the appointments and the follow-up, and put you in contact with our partner surgeons, who make every medical decision and give you the instructions that apply to your case.
Request a quote and you will have an answer within 24 to 48 hours.
