GLP-1s and peptides before surgery, at home or in Seoul

Why GLP-1 drugs matter before anesthesia

Semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (sold as Zepbound) slow the emptying of the stomach²⁰²¹. Food left in the stomach raises the risk of vomiting and of breathing stomach contents into the lungs, called pulmonary aspiration, around the time of an operation³.

The drugs’ labels report rare cases of aspiration in people on these drugs who had general anesthesia or deep sedation for a planned procedure, some of whom still had food in the stomach although they said they had fasted as told²⁰²¹. The Zepbound label adds that the data are not enough to say whether a longer fast or a break from the drug lowers that risk²⁰. It tells patients to let their healthcare providers know before any planned surgery or procedure that they take it²⁰.

Should you stop Ozempic or Zepbound before surgery?

In June 2023 the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) suggested holding a weekly GLP-1 injection for a week before a planned procedure, and a daily dose on the day itself⁴. In October 2024 it endorsed newer guidance, written with four other societies, which says most patients can keep taking the drug before planned surgery¹²⁴.

The 2024 guidance asks for more care in some cases¹.

• People at highest risk of stomach side effects, such as those on higher doses, should follow a liquid diet for the 24 hours before the procedure¹.
• Planned surgery should wait during the dose-escalation phase, which typically lasts four to eight weeks, until it has passed and the stomach side effects have gone¹.
• People with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, shortness of breath or constipation should wait until the symptoms have gone¹.
• For those at highest risk, the team may check the stomach with an ultrasound scan just before the procedure¹.

Stopping has costs too: the guidance notes that a break can affect blood sugar, and that holding the drug only for people with overweight or obesity could amount to bias¹. It leaves the plan to the anesthesia provider, the prescriber and the patient together³. So the surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the prescriber all need to know which drug you take, at what dose and when you last took it³²⁰.

Dental work and sedation

The same question comes up in dental offices that offer sedation or general anesthesia³. A 2025 review for dental sedation providers applies the 2024 guidance there: weigh, patient by patient, whether to hold or continue the drug, and decide with the prescriber and the patient³.

The aspiration warnings on the labels are about general anesthesia and deep sedation²⁰²¹. Veneer work, for example, often needs a light local anesthetic or none, according to Dream Dental Clinic, one of the clinics below⁵.

BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu after surgery

Some people take peptides bought online, such as BPC-157 and TB-500, hoping to heal faster after an operation²²²³. Neither has been shown to help people heal: the placebo-controlled trial of BPC-157 in patients that FDA reviewed, in a bowel disease, showed no clear benefit, and FDA found no study that gave TB-500 to people at all²²²³.

In rats and dogs given BPC-157, FDA saw possible signs of altered blood clotting²²²⁴. Neither is an approved medicine, and US pharmacies may not make either^22232526. Many vials sold as BPC-157 fail independent testing²⁷.

GHK-Cu, a copper peptide, has small trials on skin and wounds: a gel healed diabetic foot ulcers better than a placebo gel, while GHK-Cu skin care did not speed the fading of redness after laser resurfacing²⁸²⁹. We found no published study that injected it on its own in people³⁰.

Glutathione drips are sold too, including by VEI Clinic, one of the clinics below, which says the evidence for a skin-whitening effect is insufficient⁶. A 2016 review found inadequate safety data for IV glutathione used to lighten skin, and in 2026 at least 30 people in the US got fever, chills or shock-like illness after drips made with a supplement-grade ingredient³¹³²³³.

Losing weight before cosmetic surgery

U&U Plastic Surgery, one of the clinics below, says it suggests postponing breast surgery while weight is changing a lot over a short period, because the baseline for judging the result keeps moving⁷. The 2024 guidance adds its own reason to avoid the first weeks of a new GLP-1 or of a higher dose¹.

For skin that sags after fast weight loss, DOY JUN Plastic Surgery, another clinic below, markets Renuvion, which it describes as using radiofrequency energy and helium plasma to tighten skin⁸. We have not reviewed the evidence for such devices.

Taking a GLP-1 to Korea for surgery

Korea lets travelers bring medicines that are not narcotics for their own use, up to 6 bottles or three months’ supply⁹. They must be able to show the medicines are for personal use, with proof such as a prescription, a medical certificate or a pharmacy label on the package⁹.

Border officers may also ask for a receipt or other proof that the medicines were bought lawfully, and the Korean consulate that publishes these rules advises keeping medicines in their original packaging⁹. Medicines with narcotic or psychoactive ingredients need a permit from Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety⁹.

BPC-157 bought online is not an approved medicine: FDA found no approved BPC-157 product in any country²².

Under the 2024 guidance, a trip is easier to plan if surgery does not fall in the weeks of a new start or a dose increase, or while stomach side effects last¹. Several of the clinics below offer consultations before travel by WhatsApp or video call⁵⁷¹⁰.

The clinics in this guide

Each clinic below is a client of the company that publishes this site, as the disclosure at the top says. What it does is taken from its own pages, cited as sources; we have not visited it or checked its claims in person. The order is not a ranking.

The evidence at a glance

A tier grades the best human evidence for any use, not whether a compound is safe. Whether each one works for the use people take it for, and its legal status: the evidence table. How we grade: our method.

Questions people ask

Go deeper

• Collagen peptides: what the trials show, and who paid for them
• Compounded semaglutide, tirzepatide and microdosing: what the evidence says
• Peptide blends, checked against the evidence
• Peptide injection sites: what the approved labels say
• Peptide side effects: what trials, labels and safety alerts show
• Peptide therapy, graded on the evidence
• Peptides for hair: what the trials show, and how they compare with minoxidil
• Peptides for women: what the labels and trials say
• Peptides in skincare: what the trials and labels show
• What are peptides? The science in plain English
• Every peptide, graded: the evidence table
• Best peptides for weight loss, ranked
• Best peptides for healing, ranked
• Best peptides for skin and tanning, ranked
• Best peptides for growth hormone, ranked
• Best peptides for libido, ranked
• Best peptides for longevity, ranked
• Best peptides for focus and sleep, ranked
• Best peptides for immune support, ranked
• Are peptides legal? The legal tracker
• Peptides compared, head to head
• The 2026 gray-market briefing

Sources

1. 1New Multi-Society GLP-1 Clinical Practice Guidance Released American Society of Anesthesiologists, 29 Oct 2024. asahq.org
2. 2Multisociety clinical practice guidance for the safe use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in the perioperative period Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 29 Oct 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3. 3Implications of GLP-1 Agonists on Office-Based Sedation and General Anesthesia for Dentistry Anesthesia Progress, 12 Mar 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4. 4American Society of Anesthesiologists Consensus-Based Guidance on Preoperative Management of Patients (Adults and Children) on Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists American Society of Anesthesiologists, 29 Jun 2023. asahq.org
5. 5Veneer Process: Comfort, Timing & Visits Dream Dental Clinic, accessed 15 Oct 2026. dreamlaminate.co.kr
6. 6Glutathione Injection: Effects and Intervals VEI Clinic, accessed 15 Oct 2026. veiclinic.com
7. 7Breast Augmentation in Korea (Gangnam, Seoul): Process, Implants & Safety U&U Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. unupskorea.com
8. 8Liposuction + Renuvion Package DOY JUN Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. doyjunps.com
9. 9Bringing Medicines into Korea by Travel Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta, 12 May 2026. overseas.mofa.go.kr
10. 10Breast Augmentation in Korea (Gangnam, Seoul) Umnagumo Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. bust1.com
11. 11Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic | DOY JUN, Sinnonhyeon Station DOY JUN Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. doyjunps.com
12. 12Our Doctors DOY JUN Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. doyjunps.com
13. 13Dream Dental Clinic: Twenty Years of Tooth-First Porcelain Veneers Dream Dental Clinic, accessed 15 Oct 2026. dreamlaminate.co.kr
14. 14Registered healthcare provider for international patients (in Korean, with an English summary) The Swan Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. sswan.co.kr
15. 15Dr. Hwang Sung-ho (in Korean) The Swan Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. sswan.co.kr
16. 16Buried-suture double eyelid surgery (in Korean) The Swan Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. sswan.co.kr
17. 17U&U Plastic Surgery: Breast-Only Specialist Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, Korea U&U Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. unupskorea.com
18. 18Safety & Care Umnagumo Plastic Surgery, accessed 15 Oct 2026. bust1.com
19. 19Blood Tests, IV Therapy & Weight Management in Seoul VEI Clinic, accessed 15 Oct 2026. veiclinicseoul.com
20. 20ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection, for subcutaneous use: prescribing information Eli Lilly and Company via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 28 Aug 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
21. 21OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection: prescribing information (SPL version 20) Novo Nordisk via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 10 Jun 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
22. 22FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting of July 23-24, 2026: BPC-157-related bulk drug substances U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 11 May 2026. fda.gov
23. 23FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting of July 23-24, 2026: TB-500-related bulk drug substances U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 15 May 2026. fda.gov
24. 24Preclinical safety evaluation of body protective compound-157, a potential drug for treating various wounds Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, Jul 2020. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
25. 25Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (categories list) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 14 May 2026. fda.gov
26. 26The PEPTIDE-L Wave Rolls On! PCAC Adds Two More Bulk Drug Substances for the 503A List FDA Law Blog (Hyman, Phelps & McNamara), 28 Jul 2026. thefdalawblog.com
27. 27BPC-157 Safety Testing Results & Vendor Ratings Finnrick, 29 Sep 2026. finnrick.com
28. 28Enhanced healing of ulcers in patients with diabetes by topical treatment with glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine copper Wound Repair and Regeneration, Oct 1994. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
29. 29Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, Jul 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
30. 30PubMed search: GHK-Cu or copper peptide names with injection terms (28 results; two injected people, each with a copper peptide as one ingredient of a hair-loss mixture) National Library of Medicine (PubMed), accessed 8 Oct 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
31. 31Intravenous glutathione for skin lightening: Inadequate safety data South African Medical Journal, 6 Jul 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
32. 32FDA reminds compounders not to use dietary supplement grade glutathione for injectables U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 27 Aug 2026. fda.gov
33. 33Adverse Events Linked to Injectable Glutathione Compounded with Dietary Supplement Grade Ingredient: Current Situation U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sep 2026. cdc.gov