Preparing for cosmetic surgery in Tunisia: the complete guide

Preparing for surgery abroad is a sequence of small, unglamorous steps: putting the file together, having the tests done, stopping smoking, packing the right things, and arranging what happens when you get home.

Each procedure page carries its own checklist. This guide covers what applies to all of them.

One thing first. Your surgeon's instructions take precedence over everything on this page. Where the two differ, follow your surgeon.

The key points

• The surgeon is chosen for the procedure, and the assessment confirms whether it is indicated at all.
• Pre-operative tests are done in your own country, around fifteen days before you travel.
• Stop smoking several weeks before.
• Most stays run from two to six days; your quote states yours.
• Follow-up continues remotely once you are home.

1. Choosing the procedure and the surgeon

Start from what bothers you, not from a technique you have read about. Send a description and photographs, and be prepared for the surgeon to propose something different from what you had in mind — that happens often, and it is usually the point of asking.

Our partner surgeons work across plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, bariatric surgery, dentistry and aesthetic medicine. Their backgrounds are on the surgeons page.

Four things to establish before you commit: the surgeon's qualification, where the operation takes place, exactly what the quote covers, and how follow-up works after you return. A serious organisation answers all four without hesitating. We go through this in more detail in our twelve criteria for a serious clinic.

2. The remote consultation and your quote

What to send: recent photographs in natural light without filters, a description of what bothers you, your height and weight for body procedures, your medical history, and any treatment you are taking.

Within 24 to 48 hours you receive an opinion, the name of the procedure proposed, the length of stay and a detailed quote.

That opinion is not a diagnosis. Feasibility and technique are confirmed in person. The quote is free, applies to the package described, and commits you to nothing. Prices for each procedure are published on the prices page.

3. Your pre-operative tests

These are carried out in your own country around fifteen days before departure. Send the results before you arrive, and bring the originals with you.

Standard for everyone: full blood count, clotting screen, blood group, viral screen.

Depending on age and history: an ECG and a cardiology opinion; a specialist opinion where there is a chronic condition; breast imaging for any breast procedure, including lift, augmentation and reduction.

Dental work: a recent panoramic X-ray for implants or veneers.

Weight-loss surgery: a fuller assessment, including nutritional evaluation and, in some cases, a psychological opinion. See the sleeve gastrectomy and bypass pages.

The exact list for your case comes with your quote.

4. The weeks before

Smoking. Stop several weeks before, and stay stopped through the recovery. This is the single measure that most affects healing, and it matters particularly for arm, thigh and face lifts, hair transplants and BBL.

Medication. Aspirin and anti-inflammatories are usually stopped a few days before, unless you are told otherwise. Never stop an anticoagulant on your own initiative — that decision belongs to the doctor who prescribed it. Declare everything you take, including supplements and herbal products, which are the most commonly forgotten and can affect bleeding.

Weight. Stable for several months before body contouring, and avoid strict dieting in the weeks beforehand.

Contraception and periods. For gynaecological or intimate surgery, tell us the dates you expect.

Tell someone. Not compulsory, but tell at least one person where you are going and what for. If something happens, it matters.

5. Organising your stay

How long: a single day for injectables, eyebrow grafts or fillers; three to six days for most body and facial procedures. The duration for each procedure is in our table of lengths of stay and in your quote.

Two trips: dental implants require two stays several months apart, and a gastric balloon requires a second appointment for removal.

Flights: book after you have the quote and confirmed dates, and allow a day's margin on the return — your surgeon's agreement may be needed before you fly.

Arrival: you are met at Tunis-Carthage airport and transferred. If you would prefer a discreet arrival, say so and it is arranged.

Accommodation: depends on your package. You can travel with someone; the conditions are set out in your quote.

6. Packing

Documents: a valid passport, a visa if your nationality requires one, your test results in original form, your prescriptions, and the operative report of any previous surgery on the same area.

Clothes: loose clothing, and tops that fasten at the front — after facial, breast, arm or hair surgery you will not be pulling anything over your head for several days. Shoes without laces, for the same reason.

Depending on the procedure: cotton underwear for intimate surgery; a second non-underwired bra for breast surgery; a travel cushion for BBL or facial surgery; your glasses if you wear contact lenses and are having eyelid surgery.

Medical kit: enough of your usual medication for the whole trip, some gauze, and a thermometer if you want one.

Usually provided in the package: the compression garment, medical bra or cushion. Check your quote before buying any of them.

Leave at home: valuable jewellery, nail varnish and make-up for the day itself, and contact lenses if you are having facial surgery.

7. The day of the procedure

The pre-operative consultation takes place the day before or that morning. The surgeon examines and marks you, and the anaesthetist reviews your file and your questions. This is your last clear opportunity to ask anything.

Fasting, for a general anaesthetic: nothing to eat or drink from the time you are given, usually midnight. This is not negotiable — an operation is postponed over a glass of water, and that is the right decision rather than an inflexible one.

How long: from fifteen minutes for an injection to several hours for combined surgery.

Afterwards: monitoring in recovery, then your room or your accommodation.

8. Recovery

What is normal: swelling, bruising, tightness and discomfort in the first days. The instructions are explained to you before you leave.

Treatment: painkillers, sometimes antibiotics or anticoagulants. Follow the prescription even on the days you feel fine — particularly the anticoagulant.

Compression: a garment, a medical bra, a sleeve or a vest depending on the procedure. How long you wear it is on each procedure page, and it is one of the few parts of the result you control.

Moving: walk as soon as you can, especially after abdominal or bariatric surgery. Walking is not a return to exercise, and treating it as one is a common and costly mistake.

Lymphatic drainage: where your surgeon recommends it. See our guide to what drainage actually does.

The result settles between three and eighteen months depending on the procedure. The first weeks show you swelling, not the outcome.

9. The risks, and how they are reduced

Common to all surgery: haematoma, infection, healing problems, anaesthetic complications.

Circulatory: deep vein thrombosis and, more rarely, pulmonary embolism, particularly after abdominal surgery or a period of immobility. Prevented by moving early, compression stockings, and an anticoagulant where indicated.

Related to the result: asymmetry, irregularity, a more visible scar, under-correction or over-correction. These are limited by a correct indication and a measured operation rather than an ambitious one.

What genuinely reduces risk: a complete pre-operative assessment, stopping smoking, following the instructions, and a surgeon who declines when the situation does not lend itself.

Warning signs: fever, increasing pain, spreading redness, discharge, bleeding, pain or swelling in one calf, or breathlessness. Seek medical advice without waiting, and tell the team.

10. Going home, and the follow-up

The flight: departure confirmed by your surgeon. Loose clothing, an aisle seat, get up regularly, drink water, and do not carry your own luggage. Some procedures add specific instructions: a cushion, compression stockings, nothing on your head after a hair transplant.

Remote follow-up: by message or video call, with defined check-in points. You can get in touch at any stage, including months later.

Find a local doctor before you travel, not after something happens. Give them your operative report.

Keep your documents. The operative report, and the implant traceability card where there is one. They are asked for during imaging or future surgery, sometimes years later. Put them somewhere you will find them.

11. What to think about before deciding

A realistic expectation is a specific complaint: excess skin, a volume, an asymmetry. An unrealistic one is expecting the result to change how other people treat you.

The decision has to be yours. A procedure driven by a partner, a family member or images on social media is one to look at again before booking. Your surgeon may advise waiting, or not operating at all, and that advice is worth more than agreement.

And the result arrives slowly. The in-between period — when the swelling has gone but the result has not arrived — is harder psychologically than most people expect. Knowing that in advance makes it easier. There is more on this in our fifteen questions to ask yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Should I have my tests done in Tunisia or at home?

At home, around fifteen days before you travel. Send the results in advance and bring the originals with you.

How long do I need to stop smoking for?

Several weeks before, and throughout the recovery. It is the measure that most affects how you heal.

Can someone come with me?

Yes. The conditions are set out in your quote.

What happens if the surgeon decides I am not a candidate?

The procedure does not take place, and reviewing your file is not charged for. Another option may be proposed, or the advice may be to wait.

Can I combine several procedures in one stay?

Often, yes. Whether it is feasible depends on the total anaesthetic time and your general health, and the surgeon decides at the consultation.

When can I go back to work?

From a few days to three weeks, depending on the procedure and on what your job involves.

What do I do if something goes wrong after I get home?

Contact the team with photographs. If you have a fever, increasing pain or any circulatory sign, go to an emergency department without waiting and tell us afterwards.

Preparing your own case

ServiHealth organises and coordinates medical stays in Tunisia. We review your file, arrange the stay at Myron International Clinic and handle the follow-up. The indication, the technique and the timing belong to the surgeon.

Request a quote and you will have an answer within 24 to 48 hours.