Features
Medicinal leech therapy in plastic surgery
The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) has played a role in treating illness for over 3500 years [1]. It has survived rapid paradigm shifts in medical sciences and knowledge. In Ancient Rome, the use of leeches for bloodletting was propagated by...
Could a technology from the past change skin disinfection for the future?
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to argue that the field of medicine has seen some of the most significant scientific advances of the past 100 years: the cracking of genetic coding, the advances in pharmacology, the development of biopharmaceuticals and the...
A guide to hair transplantation
A leading hair transplant surgeon provides an overview of the most effective surgical treatments for hair restoration – and how the industry will develop over the next decade. Modern hair transplant techniques were first developed in Japan in the 1930s...
The medial gastrocnemius flap
This classic muscle flap is now being used with increasing frequency following revision knee joint surgery. Following the Nahai and Mathes classification, the gastrocnemius muscle is a Type I muscle with a single dominant vascular pedicle (Figure 1). The gastrocnemius...
Lymphoedema surgical treatment: myths and facts
Lymphoedema is a common condition that has a major impact on quality of life. Surgical treatment can help affected patients and produce good results, but there is no consensus on which surgical procedure is the most effective. The authors review...
Informed consent and failure to disclose – legal perspectives for aesthetic surgeons
As litigation and legal claims in aesthetic surgery and medicine continue to rise, informed consent is not only a legal imperative but also essential in protecting yourself and your business. Lee Seng Khoo and Francesco Mazzarone, from the world-renowned Ivo...
Choosing a 3D printer for reconstructive surgery
3D printing was first developed in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until the early 2010s that the additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology advanced enough to become available to those outside of specialist laboratories. 3D printing has also begun to...
Factors influencing a career choice in plastic surgery as a UK medical student
The medical school curriculum is increasingly focusing on the role of a general practitioner, which has resulted in medical students having reduced exposure to surgical specialties. There has been a longstanding concern that plastic surgery teaching and exposure in the...
Mercy Ships’ hope and healing in Madagascar
Since my last article on the mission of the Mercy Ships in 2013, the current vessel, the Africa Mercy has continued to bring hope and healing to the people of West Africa. Having completed a very successful eight-month visit to...
Further thoughts on hymenoplasty
The interesting and controversial article on hymenoplasty published in the Dec/Jan 16 issue of PMFA News is an example of what can happen when religion and culture clash with modern medicine. In my opinion, medicine and science should be pure...
Revirgination is not the same as hymenoplasty
The operation called hymenoplasty is requested by women all over the world before marriage if they have engaged in premarital sex. They think that by undertaking the procedure of hymenoplasty they will regain their lost virginity, a theory that is...
Hymenoplasty and virginity – an issue of socio-cultural morality and medical ethics
This article reflects the increasing complexity of the modern world, where the rich diversity of culture, morals, the law and religion, can have profound effects on medical practice. Sometimes there is considerable debate which is not in fact appropriate. This...
