All cosmetic surgery planning begins with a thorough health history. If you are a local resident, you will receive a health history questionnaire at the hospital; otherwise you will receive one by email. In this questionnaire, you will be asked about your health and previous experiences (if any) with surgery.

About your general health
General health problems are important to discuss so that your surgery is as safe as possible. In the questionnaire or in person, be sure to mention any chronic illness. Of particular concern are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, liver and kidney disease, stroke, cancer, bleeding problems, and wound healing problems. Dr. Chartchai must know if you smoke or drink regularly.

About your surgical and medical history
On your questionnaire and in person, you will be asked about previous surgeries. Be sure to identify any problems you may have had with anesthesia. It's important to describe previous cosmetic surgeries especially if you do not like the result and are interested in revision.

Dr. Chartchai and the team of specialist physicians he works with at Samitivej Hospital will make sure your health is optimized as much as possible to ensure your safety. This may mean putting your surgery on hold for 1-2 days or longer until your situation is normalized. In rare cases, it may mean that your surgery is cancelled or postponed.

If you have a physician in another hospital, whether in Bangkok or in another country, and if you have a health problem or are more than 50 years of age you can often save yourself time by getting a letter from the physician prior to your cosmetic consultation describing your problem, how it is being treated, and whether or not you are able to tolerate general anesthesia safely.

If you are seeing any specialist (cardiologist, kidney doctor, psychiatrist, etc.) be sure to bring a letter outlining your condition and treatment, and stating you are able to undergo surgery.

If you are not able to tolerate general anesthesia it may be possible for some of your procedures to be done under local or twilight anesthesia. Dr. Chartchai will discuss this with you or may suggest an alternative procedure.

About your medications and allergies
Be sure to list all medications including aspirin, other blood-thinning medications and over-the-counter medications. These are important as they may increase bleeding and affect your surgery. It is extremely important to stop taking aspirin and aspirin-containing products at least 14 days before surgery.

Information about medications that cause allergies or nausea is very important so that these medications can be avoided. Of particular importance is the reaction you have especially if you have trouble breathing.

About smoking, drinking and drug use
Smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs will certainly affect your surgery and must be mentioned to Dr. Chartchai, and later to the anesthesiologist, so that your surgery can be optimized.

Smoking causes a significant decrease in wound healing and will lead to worse scarring and a less favorable result. With large procedures such as a face lift, neck lift, tummy tuck, and breast lift smoking must be stopped at least 2-3 weeks before and after surgery. Otherwise, the results could be disastrous and lead to non-healing wounds, poor scarring, and/or infection.

With smaller procedures such as eyelid surgery, nose surgery, breast augmentation, and minor liposuction, smoking will impact the overall result but this may or may not be noticeable.