--- title: "Diabetes and Cosmetic Surgery Planning | APS" url: "https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org/blog/diabetes-cosmetic-surgery-planning" type: "Blog article" section: "Blog > Treatment Guides" summary: "Prepare diabetes and cosmetic surgery questions about assessment, your individual care plan and coordination between the teams treating you." published: "2026-11-09" updated: "2026-11-09" article_section: - "Treatment Guides" audience: "Adults considering cosmetic plastic surgery or non-surgical treatments, in Cheshire, Manchester and Barbados." language: "en-GB" publisher: "Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons" --- # Diabetes and elective cosmetic surgery: Planning questions for your teams [Treatment Guides](https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org/blog/treatment-guides) Prepare diabetes and cosmetic surgery questions about assessment, your individual care plan and coordination between the teams treating you. 9 November 2026 If you live with diabetes and are considering elective cosmetic surgery, planning involves more than the operation itself. Your usual diabetes care needs to fit with assessment, admission and recovery. Clear communication between you and the relevant teams is an important part of that planning. This guide suggests questions to ask. It does not tell you how to change medicines, use a device or prepare for fasting. Those instructions need to come from the clinicians responsible for your care. ## Bring an accurate picture of your usual care Prepare a current list of medicines and any devices you use. Include the contact details of the clinicians who manage your diabetes. If you have recent reports or an existing care plan, ask the surgical team which documents it needs. Describe relevant concerns in your own words. Do not leave out a treatment change because it happened after the first consultation. An up-to-date account is more useful than a list that looked correct when you made the booking. ## Ask who coordinates the plan The Centre for Perioperative Care describes diabetes care around surgery as a pathway involving several teams. Ask who is responsible for bringing your information together and who will answer questions at each stage. [Centre for Perioperative Care diabetes guidance](https://cpoc.org.uk/guidelines-and-resources/guidelines/perioperative-care-diabetes). For example, who reviews the plan before admission? Who gives the final written instructions? Who should you contact if your diabetes clinician and surgical paperwork seem to say different things? You should not have to resolve a clinical conflict by choosing one set of instructions yourself. ## Request individual written instructions Ask where you will get advice about medicines, food and drink, monitoring and devices. Tell the team if anything is hard to understand or does not match your current treatment. Also ask how to obtain clarification before the planned procedure. Do not use this article, another patient's experience or a generic checklist to adjust insulin or other medicines. Likewise, do not assume a pump or sensor will work in the same way throughout admission. Discuss your actual equipment with the team and follow the agreed plan. ## Discuss suitability without relying on a single number A decision about elective surgery needs an individual assessment. Ask what information the clinicians need and whether any further preparation or advice is necessary. This article does not provide a blood-glucose target, an HbA1c cut-off or a promise that APS can offer surgery to everyone with diabetes. If the team recommends a delay, ask what needs review, who will help and how the next decision will be made. ## Plan the handover home Before discharge, ask how the surgical advice fits with your ongoing diabetes care. Who will explain any changes? Who should receive the discharge information? What should you do if circumstances change or you cannot follow the plan? Keep the written instructions and contact details where you can find them. If you want someone to help at home, ask what information they need, with your agreement. If you feel unwell or face an urgent problem, follow your individual emergency plan and seek appropriate medical help rather than waiting for a routine cosmetic-surgery review. ## Further information Read the [APS patient journey](https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org/resources/patient-journey) for more background. You can also [contact APS](https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org/contact) to ask about an individual consultation or clarify the questions to bring. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why does diabetes need a separate planning conversation before elective surgery? Diabetes care needs to be considered across assessment, the procedure and recovery, rather than only on the day of surgery. Discuss how your existing treatment and monitoring fit with the surgical plan and which clinicians will coordinate advice. ### Who should coordinate my diabetes and surgical care? Ask how the surgeon, anaesthesia team and clinicians managing your diabetes will work together. Establish who provides each part of the plan and how conflicting instructions will be resolved. Do not assume one team has automatically received every relevant record. ### What information about diabetes should I bring to preoperative assessment? Bring the information requested by your team, including current treatments, monitoring or device details and relevant recent clinical advice. Explain any recent changes. Share health information securely with the treating team rather than through a public comment or an image caption. ### Will everyone with diabetes be asked to meet the same test threshold before surgery? Suitability and preparation depend on individual circumstances and the procedure. Ask the responsible clinicians how they will assess your situation and what information they need. ### Where should I get instructions about diabetes medicines and fasting? Obtain written, individual instructions from the clinicians responsible for your perioperative care. General web advice should not be used to change insulin, other medicines or fasting arrangements. If instructions are missing or inconsistent, clarify them before the planned procedure. ### Should I tell the team if I use a glucose sensor or insulin pump? Yes. Explain which devices you use and ask how they will be managed during assessment, admission and discharge. Do not assume your usual setup will remain unchanged or attempt a device adjustment based on a general cosmetic-surgery article. ### What diabetes questions should I ask about going home after surgery? Ask how your individual monitoring and treatment plan fits with discharge advice, eating and recovery support. Confirm who to contact if the plan becomes unclear or circumstances change. ### What if my diabetes treatment changes after my surgical assessment? Tell the surgical team promptly and update the clinicians involved in the plan. A change may need review even if surgery is already booked. Do not rely on an old medication list or decide for yourself that the original instructions still apply. 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All care is provided by consultant plastic surgeons on the GMC Specialist Register, operating in CQC-registered facilities. Members of BAAPS and BAPRAS. - Website: https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org - Phone: 0808 129 2000 - Email: sian@aestheticplasticsurgeons.org Cite as: Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, "Diabetes and Cosmetic Surgery Planning | APS", https://www.aestheticplasticsurgeons.org/blog/diabetes-cosmetic-surgery-planning (updated 2026-11-09). _This page is for general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice._