Overview
There is no standard guide to prehabilitation for aesthetic surgery patients. The authors did a narrative literature review of medical management, nutrition and diet, stopping substance use, weight management and psychological factors. They added procedure-specific points for rhytidectomy and rhinoplasty, where more evidence exists.
Findings
- Topics covered: medical management, nutrition and diet, substance use cessation, weight management and psychological factors.
- Malnutrition, diabetes and tobacco use have strong links with poor surgical outcomes, but lack recommendations specific to aesthetic surgery.
- Hypertension should be addressed and managed in patients seeking rhytidectomy.
- Obstructive sleep apnea should be addressed and managed in patients seeking rhinoplasty.
- Psychological concerns are common among aesthetic surgery patients and should be considered from the first consultation.
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have changed aesthetic practice, and patients should be counseled on their use with current evidence-based recommendations.
- Prehabilitation should address known risk factors early in planning and be tailored to each patient.
What it means for a patient
- Before a face lift, expect your surgeon to check and control your blood pressure.
- Stopping tobacco, improving nutrition and controlling diabetes are steps you can take before surgery.
- If you use a GLP-1 drug for weight loss or diabetes, tell your surgeon and ask how it affects your plan.
- Limits: a narrative review with no new patient data. For several risk factors the evidence comes from surgery in general, not aesthetic surgery.
Why this paper matters
It gathers preparation steps for aesthetic surgery into one guide and names blood pressure control as a specific item for rhytidectomy. It also adds GLP-1 drug use to preoperative counseling.
Terms
- Prehabilitation: preparing the body and mind before surgery to improve recovery and lower risk.
- Rhytidectomy: a face lift.
- Hypertension: high blood pressure.
- Obstructive sleep apnea: repeated blocking of the airway during sleep.
- GLP-1 agonists: a class of drugs used for diabetes and weight loss.
- Malnutrition: a lack of the nutrients the body needs, including for wound healing.
- Narrative review: a summary of published research without a formal pooled analysis.
- Perioperative complications: problems that arise around the time of surgery.