Before botox, filler, a skin booster or a laser in Seoul, tell the clinic about everything you take. That means prescription medicine, over-the-counter painkillers, supplements, acne treatment from the past year, and any antibiotics from the past few weeks. Clinics ask because some of these increase bruising and bleeding. Others make skin react more strongly to light or heat, slow healing, or point to an infection that should clear first. The clinic uses your list to decide what to do, what to adjust and what to postpone. One rule matters more than any other: never stop a prescribed medicine on your own to qualify for a cosmetic treatment. Only the doctor who prescribed it can decide whether a pause is safe.
This guide covers each group in turn, how to put together a list that is honest and quick to read, and how to plan the timing around a trip.
Why do skin clinics ask so many questions about medication?
The questions are about safety, and they change the plan. They are not a formality. In practice the answers affect four things:
- Bleeding and bruising. Every injection goes through a small blood vessel or close to one. Drugs and supplements that thin the blood or reduce platelet function make a needle mark more likely to turn into a visible bruise, and an existing bruise more likely to spread.
- How skin reacts to energy and acids. Some acne drugs and antibiotics make skin more sensitive to light, heat or peeling agents. The settings that suit one person can irritate another.
- Healing. Steroids, immunosuppressants and some chronic conditions slow recovery or raise the risk of infection after anything that breaks the skin.
- Interactions with the product itself. A small number of drugs can, in principle, strengthen the effect of botulinum toxin. Some people react to local anaesthetics such as lidocaine, which is found in numbing cream and in many fillers.
A clinic can only weigh these risks if it knows about them. Leaving something out does not make you a better candidate. It just means the decision is made without the facts.
Blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs: the most important item on the list
Mention these first and write down the exact name and dose. This group includes warfarin, the newer anticoagulants (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, edoxaban), antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel or ticagrelor, and low-dose aspirin taken for heart or stroke protection.
People take these drugs to prevent a clot, a stroke or a heart attack. The risk of stopping them is far greater than the risk of a bruise. For that reason:
- Do not pause them for a cosmetic appointment unless the prescribing doctor tells you to. A skin clinic cannot make that decision for you, and a careful clinic will not ask you to.
- Many injectable treatments can still be done while you take them. The clinic may use finer needles, apply more pressure afterwards, inject less in one session, or warn you to expect more bruising. Some deeper or higher-risk procedures may be postponed or not offered.
- Expect bruising to be more likely and to last longer. If you are flying home soon, plan for it.
If you are on one of these drugs, contact the clinic before you book, not on arrival. Whether a treatment is suitable may depend on the answer, and it is better to know that before you build a trip around it.
Painkillers: ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen versus paracetamol
Common painkillers are easy to forget because people take them without thinking. Many do affect bruising.
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, and aspirin at pain-relief doses) reduce platelet function. Many clinics ask people who take them occasionally, by choice to avoid them for several days before injections, often about a week. The exact window varies by clinic and by drug.
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) does not affect platelets in the same way. Clinics often suggest it as the alternative for headaches before treatment and for discomfort afterwards. Check the dose limits on the packet, and check with your own doctor if you have liver problems.
- If an NSAID is prescribed for a condition, for example arthritis, treat it like any other prescription. Ask the prescribing doctor before changing anything.
Cold and flu remedies often contain an NSAID, so check those labels as well.
Fish oil, vitamin E and other supplements that can increase bruising
Supplements feel harmless, so people tend to leave them off the list. Several are linked to easier bruising when taken in meaningful doses:
- Fish oil and omega-3 capsules
- Vitamin E
- Ginkgo biloba
- Garlic and ginger extracts (as concentrated supplements, not in food)
- Turmeric and curcumin
- Ginseng, including the red ginseng products that visitors often buy in Korea
For supplements you take on your own initiative, many clinics recommend a pause of roughly a week before injections. Some clinics use a different window. Ask the clinic what it wants instead of guessing.
There is an important exception. Fish oil is sometimes prescribed, for example for high triglycerides, and some people take supplements on a doctor’s advice for a diagnosed condition. In that case it counts as a medicine, and the same rule applies: the doctor who recommended it decides.
Whatever the clinic says about pausing, put every supplement on the list. The clinic may ask about one you assumed did not matter.
Acne medication: isotretinoin, retinoids and acne antibiotics
The type of treatment you plan to have matters more for acne medicine than for any other group.
- Isotretinoin (sold as Roaccutane, Accutane, Absorica and other names) affects how skin heals. Clinics have traditionally waited several months after the last dose, often six, before resurfacing lasers, deep peels or aggressive microneedling. More recent reviews suggest some procedures may be reasonable sooner, so practice varies between clinics and between doctors. Tell the clinic whether you are taking it now, and if not, roughly when you stopped and at what dose. Botox and many filler treatments are judged differently from resurfacing.
- Topical retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene, and strong retinol products) thin the outer layer of skin for a while. Clinics often ask you to stop them a few days before peels, lasers or anything abrasive on the same area. These are often prescriptions, but stopping a topical for a few days before a facial treatment is usually low risk. Still, if your doctor has given you specific instructions, follow them.
- Oral antibiotics for acne, especially the tetracycline group (doxycycline, minocycline), can make skin more sensitive to light. This matters for some lasers and light-based treatments.
If you have stopped acne treatment because the acne has cleared, write down what you took and when you stopped. A rough date is fine.
Recent antibiotics, cold sores and other medicines worth mentioning
Recent antibiotics are relevant for two reasons. First, they may mean there was a recent infection. Clinics generally avoid treating over active infection, skin or otherwise, and some prefer a short gap after a course ends. Second, a small group of antibiotics called aminoglycosides (gentamicin, for example, usually given by injection in hospital) can in theory strengthen the effect of botulinum toxin. A short course of a common oral antibiotic is a different matter, but say what you took and let the clinic weigh it.
Also mention:
- A history of cold sores. Filler in or around the lips and some laser treatments near the mouth can trigger an outbreak. Some clinics recommend preventive antiviral medicine, which is another reason to tell them.
- Steroids and immunosuppressants, including tablets, regular injections and biologic drugs. These affect healing and infection risk.
- Diabetes medicine, along with the condition itself, which affects healing.
- Muscle-related medicines and neuromuscular conditions, which are relevant to botox.
- Any past reaction to a local anaesthetic, lidocaine, a filler, or a botulinum toxin product.
- Pregnancy, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding. This is not a medication, but clinics generally postpone elective injectables, so say so plainly.
Hormonal contraception, thyroid medicine and most blood pressure tablets do not usually change a cosmetic plan. They still belong on the list, because the clinic needs to see the whole picture to judge it.
How to prepare an honest medication list before you fly
A clear list saves time at consultation and avoids misunderstandings when you are speaking a second language. Before you leave home, write it on your phone and print one copy:
| What to write | Example of the level of detail |
|---|---|
| Name of each medicine, as on the packet | “Apixaban 5 mg” rather than “a heart pill” |
| Dose and how often | “twice a day”, “only when needed” |
| Why you take it | “atrial fibrillation”, “headaches”, “acne” |
| Supplements and herbal products | fish oil, vitamin E, ginseng, multivitamin |
| Anything stopped in the last 12 months | “isotretinoin, last dose in March” |
| Courses in the last month | “doxycycline, finished two weeks ago” |
| Reactions to past treatments or anaesthetics | “large bruise after lip filler in 2024” |
A few practical points:
- Use generic names where you can. Brand names differ between countries, but generic names are understood internationally. Photos of your packets also help.
- Send the list before you book. Most Seoul clinics that treat international visitors answer messages in advance, and a doctor can tell you whether the treatment you want is suitable. If something needs discussing with your own doctor, you will find out with time to do it.
- Bring the same list to the consultation. Our checklist for what to bring to a Seoul consultation covers the other items: filler history, photos and your flight date.
- Do not trim the list to look like a better candidate. If the clinic is told nothing, it cannot protect you from the risks the questions are designed to catch.
Why you should never stop a prescribed medicine on your own
The person who prescribed a medicine knows why you take it and what happens if you stop. A skin clinic in another country does not have that information, and a cosmetic treatment is not a reason to take a risk with your heart, blood pressure, epilepsy, mental health or hormones.
For a trip, the sensible order is:
- Ask the clinic first whether the treatment is possible while you continue your medicine, and whether a pause would make any difference to it.
- If a pause is suggested, ask your own doctor at home. Show them exactly what the clinic said. Your doctor may agree, suggest a safer alternative, or say no.
- If your doctor says no, accept the adjusted plan. That may mean more bruising, a gentler treatment, or skipping a particular procedure on this trip.
This takes time, so start it weeks before the flight. It cannot be arranged in a hurry on the morning of your appointment.
When it may be better to postpone instead of adjusting
Sometimes the honest answer is “not this trip”. Clinics commonly postpone or decline elective treatment when:
- there is an active infection, a cold sore, or a rash in the area to be treated
- a course of antibiotics has just ended and the infection has not clearly resolved
- you have recently finished isotretinoin and the planned treatment is resurfacing
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- you take an anticoagulant, the procedure carries a high bleeding risk, and your prescribing doctor will not change the plan
- bruising would be visible on an important date in the next few days
Postponing is not a failure. A good clinic would rather lose a booking than treat someone at the wrong moment. If bruising is the main concern, our guide to what the first two weeks after filler usually look like shows what is expected and when to send the clinic a photo.
Where to have a medication-aware consultation in Gangnam: MIO Clinic
Seoul Skin Notes is run by MIO Clinic.
If you want a consultation in English that goes through your medication list before anything is booked, MIO Clinic near Gangnam Station is one option. MIO assesses first and plans afterwards. Its doctors use detailed clinical photography and AI-assisted facial analysis to inform the plan, and the skin analysis scan has no additional charge. The doctor still makes the decision: the analysis informs the plan but does not diagnose. Two of MIO’s experienced doctors, Jung Guhyun and Shin Seungyong, see patients in English, and both list botox and filler among their main areas. Which doctor treats you is decided at booking, so ask at consultation if it matters to you.
The injectables where bruising and medication questions come up most often on MIO’s published menu:
- Wrinkle Botox (Xeomin, Dysport), 1 Area: KRW 45,000 (roughly USD 32). Priced per area. No numbing is used, and MIO schedules it on the first day of a trip.
- Lip Filler (Domestic): KRW 99,000 (roughly USD 71). The imported line (Juvéderm, Restylane, Belotero) is KRW 349,000 (roughly USD 250). Priced per treatment area and not per syringe. Numbing is used, which is a good reason to mention any past reaction to lidocaine. Also scheduled on the first day of a trip.
These prices are as published at the time of writing and exclude VAT. Choosing a specific doctor adds KRW 100,000. The final plan, and whether a treatment suits you at all, depends on your consultation and your medication list. If you are planning both injectables on one visit, our guide to botox and filler on the same day explains how clinics usually order and space them.
FAQ
Do I really need to mention vitamins and supplements? Yes. Fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo, ginseng and turmeric can all affect bruising. If the clinic does not know you take them, it cannot advise you on them. List everything and let the clinic decide what matters.
My clinic told me to stop aspirin. Should I? If you take aspirin occasionally for pain, many clinics ask you to avoid it for several days before injections. If low-dose aspirin was prescribed to protect your heart or prevent a stroke, do not stop it unless the doctor who prescribed it agrees.
Can I have botox or filler while taking a blood thinner? Often yes, with more bruising expected and some adjustments to technique. Some higher-risk procedures may be postponed. Tell the clinic before you book, and never pause the medicine without your own doctor’s approval.
I finished isotretinoin a few months ago. Can I still have treatment in Seoul? It depends on the treatment. Clinics have traditionally waited months before resurfacing lasers and deep peels, and practice varies. Botox and many filler treatments are judged differently. Tell the clinic roughly when you stopped and what you are planning.
What can I take for pain before and after treatment? Clinics often suggest paracetamol (acetaminophen) instead of ibuprofen or aspirin around injection appointments. Follow the dose limits on the packet, and ask your own doctor if you have liver problems or take other medicines.
Should I mention a course of antibiotics I finished last week? Yes. It may mean a recent infection the clinic needs to know about, some antibiotics increase sensitivity to light, and a few can interact with botulinum toxin. Say what you took and when you finished.
Book at MIO Clinic, Gangnam
Seoul Skin Notes is the official journal of MIO Clinic, a skin & aesthetic clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. The MIO team handles consultations and bookings in English over WhatsApp — tell them what you are considering and they will walk you through your options.
MIO Clinic
2-3F, FINE TOWER, 372 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Gangnam Station, Exit 4 — 3-minute walk
Hours: Mon & Fri 10:00–21:00 · Tue–Thu & Sat 10:00–19:00 · Sun 10:00–19:00
Web：mioclinic.kr/en · Instagram：@mioclinic_global · Email：en-official@mioclinic.kr · Google Maps