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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...

Mercy Mission: all aboard with Mercy Ships off the coast of West Africa

Countries along the coast of West Africa are amongst the poorest in the world. Extreme levels of poverty often lead to poor outcomes or fatalities in many medical conditions that would be eminently treatable, with good outcomes in more developed...

From PIP to DC-CIK to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: a medico-political minefield

Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was a French company that manufactured silicone breast implants that were surgically implanted mainly for cosmetic breast augmentation. Of note, ‘cosmetic’ is used in the strict sense of the word meaning false and artificial and does...

Enhancing performance and wellbeing for surgeons: the science of life coaching

Life coaching has emerged as a powerful personal and professional development tool, particularly for individuals navigating high-stakes environments. Life coaching emphasises self-awareness, self-management and self-efficacy, including establishing desired outcomes, goal setting and developing skills and action plans to achieve them....

The challenge of reinterpreting past data through the lens of advances in skin biome research

Advances in technology have allowed scientists to expand their understanding of the complex interactions that occur between humans and the microbes that reside on and inside their bodies. However, these same advances present a challenge to scientists and clinicians to...

Topical phenytoin effect on pressure ulcers healing: A literature review of the evidence

A pressure ulcer (PU) is a localised injury to the skin and / or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, because of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear (EPUAP/ NPUAP 2009/PPPPIA 2014). Bennett et al. [1] claimed total...

Safety and risks of local anaesthesia and regional blocks in plastic surgery

The current COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented risks associated with intubation and general anaesthesia with the potential transmission of a novel and potentially fatal airborne disease. Local anaesthesia, when used appropriately, can provide safe and effective analgesia without the risks...

Tranexamic acid and platelet rich plasma in the treatment of melasma: efficacy and safety

Melasma is a common, acquired, progressive, often symmetrical macular hypermelanosis that is usually localised on the face and more frequently on the forehead, upper lip, central and malar area of the face. It is triggered by a variety of factors,...

Dermoscopy: an update and personal view

With skin cancer now at epidemic levels, early diagnosis is essential. Specialist Stephen Hayes advocates the use of dermoscopy as a triage tool and explains how to interpret the data. Melanoma skin cancer is now the UK’s fifth most common...

Melasma treatment – what have we achieved in 42 years?

Melasma is a hyperpigmentation disorder which has been the subject of intense research over the last 40 years. As yet no definitive therapeutic strategy has been demonstrated to eradicate it or to avoid relapse. The author provides an up to...

The role of the maxillo-facial surgeon in the management of skull base malignancy

Whilst ablative surgery remains the principal treatment option for head and neck malignancy, the skull base is the last frontier. The complex anatomy, supreme functionality of the brain, and varied pathology provokes many a detailed discussion in the multidisciplinary team...

Stratifying preoperative risk in revision augmentation: the six Cs

Breast augmentation is the most frequently performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the UK [1], and with an increasing number of providers, plastic surgeons are managing revisions without information pertaining to the original procedure. Anticipating the features of successive generations of...