Your PCP must clear you for surgery and complete a H&P for you

Your primary care provider needs to complete your History & Physical (H&P) within 30 days of your surgery date — not sooner or later. This is your official medical clearance and it’s required by the hospitals and surgery centers before we can proceed.

Your PCP must fax the completed H&P directly to our office at 303-831-8404. If this isn’t done in time, your surgery may need to be postponed, so please schedule this early.

Some fees can ONLY be paid with cash or check.

Your preoperative appointment is when final payments are due. While most fees can be handled through our office, anesthesia and surgical assistant fees can only accept cash or check at your in-person preop.

Your preop packet has a TON of information you're looking for. We know they are so dense but the content is important - we promise!

Kristy emails every patient a detailed, personalized preop packet. This packet includes your procedure-specific instructions, arrival time, medication info, facility details, restrictions, and more. If you skip it, you’ll likely miss something important!

Please read it fully — and bring any questions to your preop visit ❤️.

For your surgery check in (on the big day!) you should arrive at the facility 2 hours before your scheduled surgery time.

If your surgery is at Denver Surgery Center or Midtown, note that the facility doesn't open until 6:00 AM — so for a 7:30 AM surgery, arrive at 6:00 AM.

Facility addresses:

• Denver Surgery Center — 1830 Franklin St #200, Denver, CO 80218

• Midtown Surgical Center — 1919 E 18th Ave, Denver, CO 80206

• Presbyterian St. Luke's (PSL) — 1719 East 19th Ave, Denver, CO 80218

• Rose Medical Center — 4600 E Hale Pkwy Suite 200, Denver, CO 80220

Note: Patients under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Most patients don’t need to order anything — but certain procedures DO (see the garment suggestions above).

For large-volume liposuction and large-volume fat transfers, you will need to bring your special garment to surgery.

For breast procedures (augmentations, explants, lifts, reductions, breast fat transfers) and tummy tucks, you'll bring your special garment to your postoperative appointment.

Legally, you must have a responsible adult pick you up.

After anesthesia, you will not be clear-headed or steady enough to get yourself home! Plus we are legally prohibited from releasing you without a ride. Keep in mind that unfortunately, you cannot use a rideshare service to get home (e.g., Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.)!!

You must arrange for a friend or family member to pick you up — plus we typically also want someone to stay with you during the first few days to help you manage the pain! Managing your medications and care, especially with the more comprehensive procedures, is not something we want you to do alone ❤️.

If you don’t have someone available to drive you, you can use a medical transportation service, which is specifically allowed for post-anesthesia discharge.

Your post-op recovery will go MUCH smoother if your meds are ready to go!

Before surgery, you’ll need to pick up your prescriptions — including your antibiotic, pain medication, muscle relaxer, anti-nausea meds, and constipation support (as applicable).

These restrictions protect your safety during surgery and healing.

Patients often forget about the timing of pre-surgery restrictions, including:

• 14 days before surgery - Stop GLPs (or other weight loss drugs), NSAIDs, aspirin, vitamins, and supplements

• 48 hours before — Stop all alcohol

• Start fasting — at midnight the night before surgery

• Certain RXs — make sure you’re checking with our medical team about any other prescriptions you’re taking

These help reduce bleeding risk and prevent anesthesia complications.

Follow the timeline carefully — your safety depends on it.

Your medications will be started based on what happens in the hospital or surgery center, and the nursing staff will tell you exactly when each medication should begin. This timing depends on your procedure, what you receive in the facility, and how you’re feeling immediately afterward — so please follow their instructions first.

Because you may feel groggy or out of it after anesthesia, we strongly recommend having a trusted friend or family member with you at pickup. They can hear and remember the medication schedule clearly, help you get settled at home, and make sure you start the right medications at the right time.

The generalized written instructions provided and linked above can help — but having a buddy with a clear head makes this part MUCH easier.

Trust us — this is one of the MOST common experiences after cosmetic surgery (we cannot emphasize most enough!). You know your body better than anyone else on earth. Every line, curve, shadow, and tiny hair follicle is familiar to you… so of course you’ll notice every little change during healing.

But here’s the key thing to remember:

Your body has just been through A LOT — and healing takes time.

• The first couple of weeks can look swollen, bruised, uneven, or just simply “not like the final result” at all.

• After a few weeks, bruising usually improves (this varies widely by procedure).

• The 3–4 month mark is where many patients start to see really exciting, transformative and changes that are starting to feel more settled.

• The 6-month mark brings more refinement.

• And full settling can take up to a year — gradually, naturally, beautifully.

This doesn’t mean you’ll look “bad” for months — just that your results evolve as swelling decreases, tissues soften, scars mature, and your body adjusts.

What helps?

We take before-and-after photos so you can see your progress clearly — not just what you notice in the mirror day-to-day. Seeing your transformation over time (vs. staring at yourself up close every day) can be incredibly reassuring and exciting.

But more than anything, try to meditate and enjoy a little well deserved R&R whilst avoiding staring in the mirror those first two weeks. You’ve been beat up!! Hollywood stars aren’t seen in public right after their surgeries… and you can bet there’s a reason for that 😉.

Healing isn’t instantaneous, but you’re on a journey toward looking and feeling amazing — and we’re here with you every step❤️.