To have a different approach in plastic surgical techniques is always welcome. This multi-author book, with chapters written by a number of contributors who read like a ‘who’s who’ of plastic surgery, is a very useful addition to your bookshelf. It presents a case-based approach to patients whom we see in clinical practice and will be a good reference point when considering an approach to these cases.
The 39 chapters start with an update on the process of consent, with a very useful nine-point summary that would help in all cases. The section ‘Aesthetic Medicine: Surgical Pearls’ gives a great insight into approaching patients who often present to surgeons and need a combination approach. As technology and surgery develop, more minimally-invasive procedures come to the forefront – the chapter on the use of Endotine® brow lifting is a concise and clear exposition of the techniques available.
The treatment options for the neck covers surgical and minimally-invasive treatment of platysmal bands and will be relevant to all practitioners. Frame and his co-authors have chosen some giants to contribute to the chapters on nasal surgery and these are clear and insightful to read through. Further chapters on breast surgery cover standard procedures and there is also a chapter by Petrus van Deventer on the use of Breform™ – a mesh that is no longer available – however, the section may be of use in planning procedures with the new resorbable meshes. The asymmetric breast chapter draws a good link to problems of these cases and the correlation to chest frame and is well written.
The book concludes with chapters on the modified Brazilian abdominoplasty written by James Frame who has a large experience and presents the procedure clearly. The remaining chapters on trunk procedures, such as post-bariatric abdominoplasty and body contouring following massive weight loss, and upper and lower-extremity treatments, are all useful to read and easy to understand.
The only issue that lets this book down is the variable video content. Some of the videos included in the digital version are useful additions to the chapters but others need editing and presenting in a format that is useful for the reader / viewer. That said, the book and contents would be of use to surgeons and non-surgeons to bring their knowledge of procedures up to date and enhance the way they give information to patients.
