What Can You Do Before Surgery to Support Recovery?
Good preparation begins before surgery day.
There is one question few patients ask when choosing a plastic surgeon: “How will you prepare me for surgery?” Most clinics respond with a list of tests and an eight-hour fast. Dr. Alexandre Charão answers with a complete protocol — because after more than 6,000 surgeries performed since 2004 in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, the evidence suggests that improving relevant health and nutritional factors1 may support healing and recovery; individual outcomes vary.
What does preparing your body for surgery involve?
A personalized plan focused on nutrition, health markers, and habits that may support a safer procedure and recovery.
Developed by Dr. Charão over his clinical career, the Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method works on three fronts at once: localized fat reduction, metabolic optimization, and strengthening the body to withstand and recover from surgery.
The protocol begins as soon as the patient schedules the surgery — not on the eve, not weeks before, but from the first moment the decision is made. International safety standards, including the Consensus of the Colombian Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (SCARE) with the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery2, and the studies of the anesthesiologist Dr. Jorge Enrique Bayter-Marín, whose work in thermal protection and safety in body contouring surgeries was named the best international article in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2018, establish that complete perioperative preparation significantly reduces serious complications such as thromboembolism, hypothermia and excessive bleeding. Safe patient selection and preoperative evaluation in body contouring are pillars of this approach. In Dr. Charão's protocol, the ideal body fat percentage for body contouring surgeries is 32% or less. This criterion is not an arbitrary requirement: it seeks to reduce surgical risks, promote healing and optimize aesthetic results.
Patients with body fat above 32% are very welcome to book a consultation — and the sooner they come, the better, because Dr. Charão's waitlist is long. This time is used productively: the patient starts follow-up with a partner endocrinologist and follows the Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method to reach the appropriate percentage. In Dr. Charão's clinical experience, 90% of patients reached the 32% body fat criterion within the time limit for surgery. In the 10% of cases where this does not happen, surgery is rescheduled — not because of any shortcoming on the patient's part, but because operating outside the safety parameters means compromising exactly the result that everyone is seeking.
Localized fat reduction
The protocol acts on fat reduction before the procedure, enhancing liposuction and body contouring surgeries.
Metabolism optimization
Less inflammation, less fluid retention and better body response during and after surgery.
Strengthening the body for surgery
Strategic supplementation for collagen synthesis, healing and accelerated recovery with Fast Track Recovery.
Why is operating without metabolic preparation a waste of part of the result?
High inflammation, low nutritional reserves and slow metabolism are silent enemies of any surgery.
An inflamed body heals less easily. Slow metabolism retains fluid, prolongs edema and delays the definition of contours. Nutritional deficiencies compromise collagen synthesis — the protein responsible for scar quality. These factors are rarely addressed in a conventional preoperative consultation.
Dr. Charão's Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method was developed to neutralize these obstacles before they become postoperative problems. Those who arrive prepared for surgery feel the difference within the first weeks of recovery.
How does this preparation connect to Fast Track Recovery?
Preparing metabolism and recovering with Fast Track Recovery are two sides of the same philosophy.
Fast Track Recovery — a faster, more comfortable recovery and refined scars — works best when the body has been properly prepared before surgery. The two protocols were developed in a complementary way: Metabolic Preparation creates the ideal conditions, and Fast Track Recovery leads to recovery with minimal discomfort and maximum results, aligned with perioperative multimodal strategies.
This level of integrated care — before and after — is part of Dr. Charão's philosophy, recognized by O Globo’s “Faz a Diferença” Award (2006) and featured in a Washington Post report. Full career in Dr. Alexandre Charão's background. Each patient operated on at Hospital Glória D'Or (D'Or Network, annual JCI accreditation) also receives an exclusive WhatsApp group with direct access to the doctor throughout the postoperative period.
The surgery you want begins with the preparation you deserve.
Patients with more than 32% body fat are welcome and start the protocol immediately with a partner endocrinologist. All surgeries are performed at Hospital Glória D'Or, in the Glória neighborhood — D'Or Network with annual JCI accreditation. Dr. Charão is a plastic surgeon recognized by SBCP, AMB and CFM, and a member of BAPS.
Technical Comparison of Procedures
Understand the differences between the conventional approach and Dr. Alexandre Charão's Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method:
| Criteria | Conventional approach | Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method — Dr. Charão |
|---|---|---|
|
Preoperative preparation
|
✕ Fasting and basic laboratory tests | ✓ Individualized nutrition and supplementation protocol |
|
Inflammatory status
|
✕ Not addressed before surgery | ✓ Active reduction of systemic inflammation before the procedure |
|
Metabolism
|
✕ Not monitored preoperatively | ✓ Metabolic optimization for better surgical and scar response |
|
Collagen synthesis
|
• Depends on the patient's baseline status | ✓ Strategic supplementation to enhance scar quality |
|
Surgery criteria
|
✕ Not systematically evaluated | ✓ Body fat ≤ 32% as the protocol's safety criterion |
|
Patients above the criterion
|
✕ Surgery performed regardless of body fat | ✓ Follow-up with endocrinologist + Metabolic Preparation up to body fat ≤ 32% |
|
Post-op integration
|
• Preparation and recovery treated separately | ✓ Metabolic Preparation + Fast Track Recovery work together, based on accelerated recovery protocols and multimodal strategies |
|
Aesthetic result
|
• Depends exclusively on the surgical technique | ✓ Enhanced by the combination of multimodal perioperative preparation and surgical technique |
|
Follow-up
|
• Appointments at fixed intervals | ✓ Exclusive WhatsApp Group with direct access to Dr. Charão |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a criterion of body fat percentage to perform surgery?
In Dr. Charão's protocol, a body fat percentage of 32% or less is the safety criterion adopted to reduce risk and support healing and results in body contouring surgery. Careful patient selection and preoperative evaluation are fundamental to this approach.
What happens if my body fat is above 32% — do I have to wait to schedule?
No. The ideal is to schedule the appointment as soon as possible, because Dr. Charão's waitlist is long. Patients with body fat above 32% immediately start the Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method with follow-up by a partner endocrinologist. In Dr. Charão's clinical experience, 90% of patients reach the criterion within the time limit for surgery.
Why does nutritional and metabolic status influence the outcome of surgery?
Because nutritional and metabolic status at the time of surgery directly affects healing, edema control, and contour definition. Prepared patients show better aesthetic outcomes and faster recovery, as documented in the scientific literature.
How long before surgery is metabolic preparation initiated?
The protocol is individualized and started as soon as surgery is scheduled, with duration and intensity adjusted to the metabolic profile, type of surgery and aesthetic objectives of each patient. Follow-up continues until surgery day.
Does metabolic preparation help with weight loss before surgery?
Yes. One of the objectives of the protocol is reducing localized fat before the procedure, which enhances the results of liposuction and body contouring surgery. Better surgical results start with a body that is already actively changing.
How does metabolic preparation reduce surgical risks?
Preoperative nutritional interventions improve the body's response and decrease the risk of complications such as infection, seroma and delayed healing; the reduction of inflammatory markers is also part of this scenario. A well-nourished, balanced body responds better to the stress of surgery.
What is strategic supplementation in the preoperative context?
It is the use of micronutrients, proteins, and bioactive compounds in doses and combinations specific to each patient, aimed at increasing collagen synthesis, reducing inflammation, and preparing the body for a faster recovery.
Is this preparation necessary for all surgeries or just for some?
Dr. Charão recommends the Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method for all body contouring procedures, with special emphasis on liposuction, abdominoplasty, post-bariatric surgeries and combined procedures such as the Mommy Makeover.
How does Metabolic Preparation connect to Fast Track Recovery?
The two protocols were developed in a complementary way: Metabolic Preparation creates the ideal conditions in the body before surgery, and Fast Track Recovery — a faster, more comfortable recovery and refined scars — leads to recovery with minimal discomfort and maximum results.
Does Dr. Charão follow the patient throughout metabolic preparation?
Yes. Each patient has direct access to Dr. Charão through an exclusive WhatsApp group during the entire process — from preoperative preparation onward. Continuous follow-up is an essential part of Dr. Charão's philosophy of comprehensive care. He is a plastic surgeon recognized by SBCP, AMB and CFM, and a member of BAPS.
The surgery you want begins with the preparation you deserve
Schedule the appointment as soon as possible. The Weight-Loss and Metabolic Preparation Method begins at the time of the decision — with direct follow-up from Dr. Alexandre Charão.
Chat on WhatsApp nowReferences
- Mechanick JI, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for perioperative nutritional, metabolic, and nonsurgical support of bariatric surgery patients. Endocr Pract. 2013;19(2):337-372. doi:10.4158/EP12437.GL
- Ibarra P, Arango J, Bayter JE, et al. Consensus SCARE y Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Plástica on recommendations for the management of elective patients of bajo riesgo. Rev Colomb Anestesiol. 2009;37(3). doi:10.1016/S0120-3347(09)74012-2