Medications and Supplements to Discuss Before Plastic Surgery in Korea

Preparing for plastic surgery in Korea includes giving the surgical team an accurate record of the medicines and health products you use. This information should cover more than daily prescription medication. Over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products, traditional remedies, injections, patches, and supplements used only occasionally may also be relevant to your preoperative assessment.

A medication review does not automatically mean that a medicine must be stopped or that surgery cannot proceed. The purpose is to give the medical team enough information to decide whether any medicine or supplement is relevant to anesthesia planning, the procedure, preoperative testing, recovery, or management of an existing health condition.

International patients should prepare this information before traveling rather than waiting until the day of surgery. Product names and ingredients may differ between countries, and additional time may be needed to identify an unfamiliar medicine, consult the original prescribing clinician, or review Korean requirements for bringing certain medicines into the country.

This guide explains what information to disclose, how to prepare a medication list for a Korean clinic, who should confirm any change in treatment, and what to check before traveling with personal medicines. Instructions may vary according to the procedure, anesthesia plan, medical history, current health, and the specific medicine or supplement involved.

Why Your Medication and Supplement List Matters Before Surgery

A complete medication and supplement list is an important part of the preoperative assessment. Medicines and health products can affect the body in different ways, and some effects may be relevant when the medical team reviews anesthesia, bleeding, circulation, blood pressure, blood sugar, laboratory results, or recovery planning.

The clinic needs to know what you actually use, not only what you consider to be a serious medicine. A product purchased without a prescription, taken only when needed, or described as natural may still contain active ingredients that should be included in the review.

Medication Review Is Part of Preoperative Assessment

Before confirming a surgical and anesthesia plan, the medical team may review your current health conditions, previous operations, allergies, past reactions to anesthesia, laboratory results, and medicines. These details are considered together rather than evaluated as separate pieces of information.

A medicine may be relevant because it is used to manage an existing condition, because it may interact with another medicine, or because stopping it without an appropriate plan could create a separate health concern. The same medicine may require different instructions depending on the planned procedure, anesthesia method, dose, reason for treatment, and the patient’s medical history.

This is why a general online list of medicines to stop should not replace individualized instructions. The surgical team needs to consider the planned procedure, while the original prescribing clinician needs to consider why the medicine was prescribed and whether changing it could affect the underlying condition.

The medication review may also help the clinic determine whether additional medical records, test results, or consultation with another healthcare professional are needed before surgery. However, having a particular medicine on your list does not by itself determine whether you are eligible for surgery.

Why “I Only Take Vitamins” Is Not Enough Information

Patients sometimes report that they take no medication because they use only vitamins, herbal products, traditional remedies, protein or energy products, or beauty and weight-management supplements. From a preoperative perspective, these products should still be listed individually.

A complete disclosure should include products such as:

• Prescription medicines taken daily or only when needed
• Over-the-counter pain, cold, allergy, sleep, or digestive medicines
• Multivitamins, individual vitamins, minerals, and fatty-acid products
• Herbal products, traditional remedies, and Korean or other traditional medicines
• Weight-management, fitness, energy, skin, hair, or beauty supplements
• Injections, inhalers, eye drops, medicated patches, creams, and ointments
• Products recently discontinued or started shortly before surgery

Do not rely only on broad descriptions such as “vitamins,” “herbal medicine,” or “painkillers.” Products within the same category can contain different ingredients and strengths. Whenever possible, provide the exact product name, active ingredient, strength, dose, frequency, and reason for use.

If the product label is not written in English, keep the original packaging and take clear photographs of the front label, ingredient list, dosage information, and pharmacy or prescription label. The clinic may need these details to identify the product accurately.

When Updated Information Should Be Sent to the Clinic

Your medication list should be treated as a current record rather than a form completed only once. Inform the clinic if anything changes after your online consultation or surgery reservation.

Updates may be needed if:

• A doctor prescribes a new medicine or changes the dose of an existing medicine
• You begin antibiotics, cold medicine, pain medicine, or another short-term treatment
• You receive medicine after dental treatment, urgent care, or an emergency visit
• You start or stop a vitamin, herbal product, injection, or dietary supplement
• You experience a new reaction, allergy, illness, infection, or change in your health
• You do not follow a previous medication instruction correctly
• You take a medicine closer to surgery than originally planned

Do not hide a missed dose, an extra dose, or a medicine taken unexpectedly because you are concerned that the procedure may be delayed. The medical team needs accurate information to decide whether the existing plan remains appropriate or requires further review.

International patients should send important updates before departure whenever possible and review the complete list again during the in-person consultation. Bring the original packaging, prescription information, or clear label photographs for products that may be unfamiliar in Korea.

What Medications, Vitamins, and Supplements Should You Disclose?

A practical approach is to give your surgical team a complete list of the medicines and health products you currently use, not just prescription medicines. Many patients assume that vitamins, herbal products, occasional pain relievers, or traditional remedies are unimportant because they are available without a prescription. However, the preoperative medication review should include all products you use regularly or occasionally so the medical team has a complete picture before surgery.

Providing a complete list does not mean every medicine or supplement must be stopped. Instead, it allows the surgical team to determine whether additional questions, medical records, laboratory tests, or coordination with your prescribing clinician are needed before your procedure.

Prescription Medications

Tell the clinic about every prescription medicine you currently take, even if you only use it occasionally or believe it is unrelated to your surgery. Include medicines prescribed by specialists, family physicians, dentists, or other healthcare professionals.

Common examples include medicines used for:

• High blood pressure and heart conditions
• Blood clot prevention or circulation disorders
• Diabetes or blood sugar management
• Thyroid disorders
• Hormone therapy or birth control
• Mental health, sleep, anxiety, or neurological conditions
• Autoimmune diseases or long-term inflammatory conditions
• Weight management or obesity treatment
• Asthma or other respiratory conditions

Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine simply because you read general advice online. The appropriate plan depends on your medical condition, the specific procedure, the type of anesthesia, and the medicine itself.

Over-the-Counter Medicines

Many patients forget to mention medicines purchased without a prescription because they are considered everyday products. However, these medicines should also be included during your consultation.

Examples include:

• Pain relievers
• Cold and flu medicine
• Allergy medicine
• Sleep aids
• Digestive or stomach medicine
• Cough medicine
• Nasal sprays
• Eye drops
• Medicated creams or ointments

If you only use these medicines occasionally, mention approximately how often you take them and when you most recently used them. This information is more helpful than simply saying, "I sometimes take pain medicine."

Vitamins, Herbal Products, and Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements should be reported even when they are marketed as natural, organic, or intended for general wellness. Natural does not necessarily mean medically irrelevant during preoperative planning.

Examples may include:

• Multivitamins
• Individual vitamin products
• Mineral supplements
• Omega fatty acid products
• Herbal supplements
• Traditional herbal medicines
• Beauty, skin, or hair supplements
• Sports nutrition products
• Protein or amino acid supplements
• Energy or weight-management supplements

If you use combination products that contain multiple ingredients, report the product name exactly as it appears on the label whenever possible. The clinic may review the ingredient list if additional information is needed.

Injections, Patches, Inhalers, Eye Drops, and Other Non-Pill Products

Not every medical product comes in tablet form. Treatments applied to the skin, inhaled into the lungs, injected, or placed in the eyes should also be disclosed because they may contain prescription medicines or active ingredients that are relevant to your medical review.

Be sure to report:

• Prescription injections
• Hormone injections or hormone patches
• Asthma inhalers
• Eye drops
• Prescription creams or ointments
• Medicated skin patches
• Regular infusion therapies
• Long-acting injectable medicines

If you receive treatment at a clinic rather than taking medicine at home, mention the treatment name, how often you receive it, and the approximate date of your most recent treatment.

Products You No Longer Take—or Only Use Occasionally

Your medication history should also include products that have recently changed. A medicine started or discontinued shortly before surgery may still be relevant during your consultation.

Tell the clinic if you have recently:

• Started a new prescription medicine
• Stopped taking a long-term medicine
• Finished a course of antibiotics
• Used medicine after dental treatment or an emergency visit
• Started a new supplement or herbal product
• Taken medicine only when symptoms occur, such as migraines or allergies

Providing this information helps the medical team understand recent changes in your health and determine whether any additional clarification is needed before surgery.

How to Prepare an Accurate Medication List for a Korean Clinic

A well-prepared medication list helps your Korean surgical team review your health information more efficiently before your consultation. Rather than simply writing "blood pressure medicine" or "vitamins," provide enough detail for the clinic to identify each product correctly. This is especially important for international patients because brand names, formulations, and available products may differ from country to country.

You do not need to create a complicated medical document. A simple, organized list containing the correct information is usually much more useful than an incomplete record or several photographs without explanations.

Record the Product Name and Active Ingredient

Whenever possible, include both the brand name and the active ingredient. The same medicine may be sold under different brand names in different countries, while the active ingredient remains the same. Providing both helps reduce confusion during your consultation.

For each medicine or supplement, try to include:

• Brand or product name
• Active ingredient (if known)
• Strength (for example, the amount listed on the package)
• How much you take each time
• How often you take it
• The reason you use it
• Whether it is prescribed or purchased over the counter

If you are unsure about the active ingredient, do not guess. Simply record the product name exactly as it appears on the package and provide clear photographs of the label.

Include Products You Use Only Occasionally

Many patients prepare a list of daily medicines but forget products that are taken only when symptoms occur. These products should also be reported because they may still be relevant during your medical review.

Examples include medicines used for:

• Headaches or migraines
• Seasonal allergies
• Cold or flu symptoms
• Pain after dental treatment
• Difficulty sleeping
• Digestive discomfort
• Short-term infections

If you no longer use a product but stopped only recently, include it together with the approximate date you stopped using it. Recent changes in your medication history may be helpful during your consultation.

Use Clear Photos if You Do Not Know the English Name

Do not worry if the medicine label is written in another language or if you do not know the English name. In many cases, photographs of the original packaging provide more useful information than an incomplete translation.

When taking photos, include:

• The front of the package
• The ingredient or information panel
• The dosage or strength label
• The prescription or pharmacy label if available

Avoid removing tablets or capsules from their original packaging before taking photographs. The original box, bottle, blister pack, or pharmacy label often contains important information that helps identify the medicine correctly.

Report Allergies and Previous Medication Reactions Separately

Your medication list should also include information about previous reactions to medicines. This information is different from the list of products you currently take and should be reported separately whenever possible.

Tell the clinic if you have experienced:

• A confirmed medication allergy
• A previous reaction to anesthesia
• A serious reaction after taking antibiotics or pain medicine
• Skin rash, swelling, breathing difficulty, or another significant reaction after using a medicine
• A reaction that required emergency medical treatment

If you are unsure whether something was an allergy or a side effect, describe exactly what happened instead of trying to classify it yourself. Providing accurate details allows the medical team to assess the information appropriately.

Even if you cannot complete every item in this table, providing accurate information for the products you currently use is more helpful than submitting an incomplete or estimated list.

Who Should Confirm Whether a Medication Needs to Be Changed?

One of the most common questions before plastic surgery is whether a medication should be continued, changed, or temporarily stopped. The answer is rarely the same for every patient. It depends on why you take the medication, your medical history, the planned procedure, the anesthesia method, and your overall health.

For this reason, medication decisions should not be based on general advice from social media, online forums, or articles describing another patient's experience. The appropriate approach is to let the healthcare professionals responsible for your treatment review your individual situation.

Do Not Stop Prescription Medication on Your Own

Many online articles provide general lists of medicines or supplements that people should stop before surgery. However, these lists cannot account for your personal medical condition or the reason the medication was prescribed.

Changing a prescribed medicine without professional advice may affect the management of the condition for which it was prescribed. Likewise, continuing a medicine without informing your surgical team may prevent them from performing a complete preoperative assessment.

If you have questions about a medication, ask the clinic rather than making changes on your own. Even if you have undergone surgery previously, the recommendations for a different procedure or a different stage of your health may not be the same.

Your Prescribing Clinician and Surgical Team Have Different Roles

International patients sometimes assume that only the plastic surgeon should decide what to do with their medications. In reality, medication planning often involves more than one healthcare professional.

These healthcare professionals may review the same medication from different perspectives. Sharing complete and accurate information helps them make coordinated decisions that reflect both your existing medical needs and your planned surgery.

What If You Receive Different Instructions?

If you receive different advice from different healthcare professionals, do not choose one recommendation on your own. Instead, let your Korean clinic know exactly what instructions you have already received.

Helpful information to share includes:

• The name of the clinician who prescribed the medication
• The reason the medication was prescribed
• Any written instructions you have already received
• Recent changes in dosage or treatment
• Your planned surgery date in Korea

Providing this information allows the surgical team to review your case more completely and, when appropriate, recommend that you discuss the treatment plan further with your prescribing clinician before surgery.

Never assume that advice given for a previous operation, a different clinic, or another patient automatically applies to your situation.

Tell the Clinic About Any Changes Before Surgery

Your medication review does not end after the online consultation. Continue updating the clinic if your treatment changes before you travel or while you are in Korea.

You should notify the clinic if you:

• Start a new prescription medication
• Stop taking an existing medication
• Change the dose of a current medication
• Begin a new vitamin, herbal product, or dietary supplement
• Receive treatment after an emergency department or dental visit
• Develop a new illness, infection, or allergic reaction

Even changes that seem minor may be important during your preoperative assessment. Informing the clinic early gives the medical team enough time to review your updated information before your scheduled procedure.

Bringing Prescription Medication and Controlled Medicines Into Korea

If you are traveling to Korea for plastic surgery, preparing your medication list is only part of the process. You should also make sure you can legally bring your personal medicines into the country. Entry requirements can differ by medicine and may change over time, so international patients should check current official Korean guidance for the specific product they plan to carry.

Planning ahead helps prevent unexpected problems at the airport and allows your surgical team to review your medications before your consultation.

Keep Medicines in Their Original Packaging

Whenever possible, carry medicines in their original packaging throughout your trip. Original packaging helps customs officials and healthcare professionals identify the product correctly and reduces confusion if the medicine is sold under a different brand name in Korea.

Before departure, prepare:

• The original medicine box, bottle, or blister pack
• The pharmacy dispensing label when available
• A copy of your prescription or prescription record
• A doctor's letter if your medicine requires additional explanation
• An adequate supply for your planned stay in Korea

Avoid transferring prescription medicines into unmarked containers whenever possible. Keeping medicines together with their original labels makes them easier to identify during customs inspections and medical consultations.

Check Whether Your Medicine Contains a Controlled Substance

Some medicines may be subject to additional Korean entry requirements. Because the applicable rules depend on the specific medicine and can change, check current official guidance before departure rather than relying on a general article.

When checking entry requirements, use the exact medicine name and active ingredient where available. A prescription issued in another country does not by itself confirm what documentation may be needed for entry into Korea.

Before traveling, consider the following checklist:

• Confirm the active ingredient of every prescription medicine.
• Review the latest official Korean entry guidance before departure.
• Prepare any required medical documents well in advance.
• Allow sufficient time if prior approval is necessary.
• Keep copies of important documents while traveling.

If you are uncertain whether your medication is subject to additional requirements, contact the relevant authority before your departure instead of making assumptions based on online discussions or experiences shared by other travelers.

Do Not Change Essential Medication Only for Travel

If you discover that your medication requires additional documentation for entry into Korea, do not replace it with another medicine or stop taking it solely to simplify your travel plans.

Instead, discuss your travel schedule with the clinician who prescribed the medication and inform your Korean surgical team before your consultation. They may ask for additional information about your treatment or recommend that you complete the necessary travel documentation before departure.

Changing an ongoing medication without medical guidance may affect the management of the condition for which it was prescribed.

Final Medication Checklist Before You Travel and Before Surgery

Preparing your medication information before leaving for Korea can make your consultation more efficient and help avoid unnecessary delays. Rather than trying to remember every medicine during your appointment, organize your information in advance and update it whenever your treatment changes.

A final review before departure—and another review during your in-person consultation—helps ensure that your surgical team has the most accurate and up-to-date information when planning your care.

Before Booking or Confirming Your Surgery

• Prepare a complete list of all prescription medicines.
• Include over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products, and dietary supplements.
• Record the product name, strength, dose, frequency, and reason for use whenever possible.
• List any medication allergies or previous reactions to medicines or anesthesia.
• Inform the clinic about your existing medical conditions.

Providing complete information during the planning stage allows the clinic to review your medical history before your consultation and identify whether additional information may be required.

Before Traveling to Korea

• Pack medicines in their original packaging.
• Bring a copy of your prescription or supporting medical documents if available.
• Confirm the active ingredients of your prescription medicines.
• Check the latest Korean entry requirements if your medication may contain a controlled substance.
• Pack enough medication for your planned stay unless your prescribing clinician has instructed otherwise.
• Save clear photographs of your medication labels on your phone as a backup.

Preparing these documents before departure makes it easier to answer questions during customs procedures and your medical consultation in Korea.

During Your Consultation in Korea

• Review your medication list with the clinic.
• Tell the medical team about any medicines or supplements you started or stopped after your online consultation.
• Show the original packaging or product photographs if requested.
• Ask questions if any medication instructions are unclear.
• Follow the individualized guidance provided by your surgical team.

Your consultation is the best opportunity to confirm that your medication list is accurate and that the clinic has the information needed for your preoperative assessment.

On the Day of Surgery

• Inform the clinic if you have taken any medicine or supplement that was not previously reported.
• Tell the medical team if your health condition has changed since your last consultation.
• Mention any recent illness, fever, infection, or allergic reaction.
• Bring any requested medication or supporting documents with you.
• Follow the instructions provided by your healthcare professionals rather than general online advice.

If you are unsure whether something is important, tell the clinic. Accurate information is always more helpful than leaving out details that may affect your medical review.

Bringing complete and accurate medication information helps your healthcare team better understand your medical history and prepare for your consultation. Every patient's treatment plan is different, so medication recommendations should always be based on individualized medical advice rather than general online information.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and does not replace personalized medical advice. Medication management before surgery should always be determined by qualified healthcare professionals based on your individual medical history, current treatment, planned procedure, and overall health condition.