Features
An open letter to young plastic surgeons (from an old UK plastic surgeon)
You are in a specialty that is second to none – you can use your skills to improve the quality of life of your patients, whether they have cancer, congenital abnormalities or damage caused by trauma. Most (90%) plastic surgery...
Wound moisture sensing in traumatic wounds
Wounds can be small and unpleasant, or may be large and life-threatening. The skin is a physical and an immunological barrier to infection, and any defect in the integrity of the skin may allow bacterial or fungal invasion to occur....
Living confidently with a distinctive face or body
The visual impact of having a face which has scars from an accident or burns like mine or a birthmark, a cleft lip and palate, a Bell’s palsy or a skin condition is arguably not taken seriously enough by clinical...
IN RESPONSE TO: Plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine - specialties and specialists
I read with great interest the article ‘Plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine: specialties and specialists’ by Professor Andrew Burd published in the Feb/Mar issue of PMFA News. Prof Burd brings up many valid points about the specialty of plastic surgery...
When a patient asks for your insurance details…
Coming from a patient, the question “Do you have insurance?” is almost certain to put a medical practitioner on edge. Not being a common query, many do not have a ready answer and instead have to grapple with some questions...
Transcutaneous scarless buttock lift via the Serdev Suture® Technique
The Serdev Suture® buttock lift presents a scarless surgical procedure for the treatment of the flaccid, flat and ‘unhappy buttock’ form by a closed approach without any requirement for incision and excision scars. The outcome is a visual change in...
Plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine: specialties and specialists
Dr Nikolaos Metatoxos has written an excellent article ‘How to establish a successful practice in aesthetic medicine’, which looks at the business of aesthetic medicine and underlines some very important ethical issues. When comparing hospital doctors and aesthetic medicine practitioners...
Psychological outcomes following ultrasound-assisted gynaecomastia reduction in adult men
Gynaecomastia is a common condition that is said to affect 30-65% of men worldwide. Regardless of the severity of the condition, many men that are affected by their gynaecomastia, suffer considerable social embarrassment. The incidence appears to be increasing as...
The role of skin camouflage and micropigmentation in the fields of burns and plastic surgery
Many patients who survive major burns, suffer a traumatic injury or undergo reconstructive surgery following cancer are left with both physical but also psychological sequelae. Sometimes early psychological difficulties improve with the passage of time with support from friends and...
IN RESPONSE TO: From PIP to DC-CIK to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: a medico-political minefield
I am a consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist of 20 years and I hold (2002) a masters accredited diploma in injection therapy (steroid and local anaesthetic injection techniques) as well as certificates to advanced level in cosmetic injection – dermal filler and...
2nd Chance: reconstructive surgery for life reconstruction
Many populations throughout the developing world have no access to the specialist healthcare needed by patients who have suffered severe burns, war injuries or congenital disorders. The specialties of plastic and maxillofacial surgery can make a vital contribution and PMFA...
The role of angiogenesis in wound healing, scarring and tissue regeneration
In the UK alone there are 175,000 people who visit Accident & Emergency departments with burns each year. This results in around 13,000 hospital admissions, of which 1000 are due to severe burns [1]. Over half of these admissions are...
