Preparing for top surgery: how to get ready

Preparing for top surgery: six to four weeks before

What does preparing for top surgery involve? Stop smoking and all nicotine products at least around 4 weeks before, review medications and supplements with your doctor, arrange help at home for the first weeks, pack front-opening clothes, and plan travel and length of stay with the clinic. Mental preparation matters too.

Smoking and nicotine

The single most important thing you can do for your healing is to stop smoking. Nicotine narrows blood vessels and reduces oxygen supply to the tissues, which increases the risk of wound-healing problems, infection and nipple graft loss. General surgical advice, also reflected by the World Health Organization, is to stop at least around 4 weeks before surgery and not to restart during healing. This also applies to vapes, heated tobacco, nicotine patches and gum unless your surgeon says otherwise. If you need help quitting, your GP or a stop-smoking service can support you.

Medications and supplements

Some medications and supplements can increase bleeding risk – for example aspirin, some anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants, but also fish oil, ginkgo or high-dose vitamin E. Do not stop anything on your own: bring a complete list to your surgeon and ask the prescribing doctor for advice, especially for medicines you need for other conditions.

Hormone therapy

If you take testosterone, some surgeons ask you to pause or adjust it temporarily, others do not. Any change should be agreed with your surgeon and the doctor who manages your hormone therapy, not decided alone.

Lifestyle

A balanced diet with enough protein, good hydration, regular exercise and a stable weight all support healing. Avoid crash diets in the weeks beforehand and cut down on alcohol.

Arranging help at home

For the first days and for several weeks after surgery you will not be able to lift heavy things or raise your arms above shoulder height; exact timings also depend on the technique, described on our pages about top surgery procedures. Plan ahead:

• Ask someone you trust to travel with you and help during the first days.
• Move everyday items (plates, mugs, clothes) to waist height.
• Prepare meals to freeze or arrange grocery delivery.
• If you have pets or young children, arrange who will look after them.
• Agree time off with your employer or university.

What to pack

• Front-opening shirts and hoodies (buttons or zips), comfortable and slightly loose, so you don't have to raise your arms.
• Soft trousers and slip-on shoes.
• A travel pillow or wedge pillow to sleep semi-upright.
• Wet wipes and dry shampoo for the days you cannot shower.
• Straws, a water bottle, light snacks.
• A long phone charging cable, headphones, something to read or watch.
• Documents, test results, your medication list and a copy of the written quote.

The compression vest is usually provided by the clinic; ask whether it is included or whether a spare is worth bringing.

Planning your trip

If you have surgery abroad, for example in Istanbul, only book your return flight once the length of stay is agreed with the clinic: around 7–10 days on site is common for check-ups and drain removal, but the decision lies with the surgeon. On the way home an aisle seat and help with luggage are useful. You will find practical tips on transfers, hotels and support in our guide to top surgery in Turkey.

If you are still deciding where to have surgery, compare top surgery destinations in Europe and worldwide: waiting times, travel logistics and length of stay differ a lot between top surgery in Germany, top surgery in Spain and top surgery in Thailand, which involves a much longer flight.

Mental preparation

Top surgery is often a long-awaited and emotional milestone. It is normal to feel joy and anxiety at the same time, and, in the days after surgery, tiredness or mood swings – partly due to anaesthesia and medication. Some tips:

• Keep expectations realistic: early swelling and asymmetry are normal, and the final result takes months.
• Build a support network: friends, community, a therapist if you have one.
• Write down questions for your surgeon as they come up.
• Plan calm activities for your recovery.

Practicalities: quote, documents and work

A few weeks ahead it is worth sorting out the paperwork too, so you don't have to deal with it while recovering:

• Written quote: check what is included (tests, anaesthesia, nights in hospital, hotel, transfers, interpreter, compression vest, check-ups and remote follow-up) and what is not. Prices remain indicative until the surgeon has seen your chest.
• Medical documents: keep test results, your medication list, any letters and the translated consent form together in one folder, ideally also digitally.
• Travel insurance: check whether it covers complications from planned surgery abroad – many standard policies exclude this.
• Work and study: plan at least 1–2 weeks off for desk work and longer for physical jobs; ask your doctor how sick notes are handled.
• Payments: find out how and when the deposit and balance are due, and keep all receipts.

The week before: final steps in preparing for top surgery

• Confirm times, transfers and support contacts.
• Follow the clinic's fasting instructions before anaesthesia.
• Tell the team straight away about any fever, infection or cold.
• Avoid intense tanning or sunburn on your chest.

Before you travel, also check that you meet the top surgery requirements, and see our complete top surgery guide for other topics, from costs to scars.

Unsure about any part of your preparation? Get in touch through our free top surgery consultation, also to find out what the package includes and how top surgery recovery usually goes.