Skill School Manifesto, 3 Oncoplastic Lessons, & Foundations Referral System
Also: Fresh quiz round, Wise-pattern pearls, upcoming breast surgery events.
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Plastic Surgery
A curated suite of educational tools designed specifically for the evidence-based Plastic Surgeon.
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Apert's Hand: Clinical Features, Investigations, & Management
Apert syndrome is a rare genetic disorder causing craniosynostosis, midface hypoplasia, and severe syndactyly. The Upton classification guides surgical correction of the hands, aiming to improve function by separating webspaces and lengthening the thumb. Surgical staging begins around 4 months.
ASPS Age Trends, 4 Craniofacial Lessons, & New Quiz Winners
Also: Upcoming craniofacial & cleft conferences, levator repair guide, & 3 recommended reads.
Surgeon Stress, 3 Lower Limb Lessons, & Platform Updates Ahead
Also: Gastroc flap tips, lower limb trauma events, & final round of the Sunday quiz.
Project "Skill School", 3D Printed Bones, & 2 Important Microsurgery Drills.
Also: BAPRAS Congress 2025, New journal club, & the Sunday quiz.
Lower Limb Examination: 5-Step Approach & Documentation
A lower-limb exam follows the sequence look, feel, move, and neurovascular. Inspect for deformity or wounds, palpate for tenderness and compartment tension, assess joint motion, strength, sensation, and pulses. Reassess after intervention; early pain on stretch warns of compartment syndrome.
Microsurgical Principles - Angiosomes: Vascular Territories, Choke Vessels, & Delay Phenomenon
An angiosome is a 3D block of tissue supplied by a single artery-vein pair. Understanding these vascular territories and their choke-vessel connections allows surgeons to design flaps with reliable perfusion, apply delay techniques, and plan reconstructions with reduced necrosis and morbidity.
Paronychia & Felon: Causes, Clinical Features, & Management
Paronychia affects the nail folds and is often bacterial, while a felon is a deep abscess in the fingertip pulp, causing intense pain. Both require early recognition and drainage to prevent complications like osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, or fingertip sensory loss.
Compartments of the Lower Limb: Muscles, Innervation, & Blood Supply
The thigh has three compartments (anterior, medial, posterior) and the leg has four (anterior, lateral, superficial posterior, deep posterior), each containing muscles, nerves, and vessels. Rigid fascia limits expansion, making the anterior leg most prone to compartment syndrome.
Describing a Fracture: Pattern, Location, & Investigations
Fractures are three-dimensional injuries best described using the PLACES framework: Pattern, Location, Alignment, Closed/open status, Examination findings, and Special investigations. At least two orthogonal X-rays are required to assess fracture type, displacement, joint involvement, and severity.
Halloween Edition: 4 Firework + Pumpkin Injuries, & AI vs Real Surgeons
Also: Video guide for finger replants, the Sunday quiz, & P'fella at BAPRAS Congress 2025!
Compartments of the Upper Limb: Neurovascular Anatomy & Clinical Relevance
The upper limb is divided by fascia into compartments with specific muscles, nerves, and vessels. The arm has anterior (flexor) and posterior (extensor) groups & the forearm has volar, dorsal, and lateral compartments. Rising pressure causes compartment syndrome requiring urgent fasciotomy.
5 Levels of Plastic Surgery Work, Body Contouring Tips, & Last Call for Lifetime Patrons
Also: Huger's abdomen vascular zones, fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty markings, & Foundations sales reopen soon!
Special Edition: A One-Time Invitation to Shape The Plastics Fella’s Future — Limited Seats
This is your chance to become a handful of people that can shape the future of plastic surgery education. We're levelling up to a faster platform, smarter tools, and a bold new vision. We want to do it with our community: transparent and collaborative.
3 Suture Studies, A Microsurgery Guide, & Foundations Waitlist Is Back!
Also: Suture sizes summarised, the Sunday quiz, & arterial anastomosis guide.
Suturing & Knot Tying: Suture Type Evaluation & Techniques
Suturing choice depends on wound type. Simple interrupted sutures give strength and versatility, mattress sutures evert edges and spread tension, and deep dermal ones relieve surface stress. Subcuticular sutures improve appearance, while vertical mattress and secure knots prevent dehiscence.
Transposition Flap: Design Principles, Clinical Use, & Complications
Transposition flaps are essential in reconstructive surgery. An ideal option for redirecting tissue into adjacent defects, with superior cosmetic outcomes compared to simple rotation or advancement flaps.
Surgical Instruments: Function, Selection, & Specialty Use
Surgical instruments improve efficiency and minimize trauma. Scalpels suit different incisions, forceps may be toothed or atraumatic, retractors provide exposure, scissors vary by tissue, & electrosurgery offers cutting & coagulation. Proper selection, handling, & set preparation enhance outcomes.
Suture Types & Sizes: USP System, Needle designs, & Use
A summary of the classification of sutures, common materials used in plastic surgery, the USP sizing system, needle designs, and practical guidelines for choosing and removing sutures.
Classification of Flaps: Design Principles, Applications, & Complications
Local flaps move adjacent, vascularized tissue. Classified by perfusion (random/axial/perforator), composition (cutaneous→osseomyocutaneous), and movement (advancement/rotation/transposition/interpolation). Selection hinges on defect, tension vectors, and aesthetic subunits.
The Reconstructive Ladder: Core Principles, the Six Rungs, & Applications
The reconstructive ladder guides wound closure from simple to complex: secondary intention, primary closure, skin grafts, local flaps, pedicled flaps, & free tissue transfer. Choice is defect- and patient-specific, evidence-based, with “elevator” jumps when higher rungs optimize outcomes.
Research Methods in Plastic Surgery: Study Designs, PROMs, & Evidence Appraisal
This article summarises observational and experimental study designs, RCTs, systematic reviews/meta-analyses, PROMs, qualitative methods, and bias-appraisal tools; highlights registries, collaborative networks, and priority-setting to boost evidence quality in plastic surgery.
Fake Educational Metrics, 3 Perforator Tips, & Feedback on Foundations
Also: Angiosome classic study, the Sunday quiz, & additional reading on perforators.
Scrub Caps, Best Zone 1 FDP Techniques, & Fresh Quiz Round
Also: FDP avulsion injury classification, fixing a zone 1 FDP & 3 recommended reads.
Blog
View allST3 Plastic Surgery Interview: Structure, Guides & Tools.
A guide to Plastic Surgery courses, companions, and questions for your upcoming ST3 plastic surgery interview.
6 min read
Key Notes on Plastic Surgery - Book Review
"Key Notes on Plastic Surgery" is a comprehensive guide to the field of plastic surgery, authored by Adrian Richards and Hywel Dafydd.
3 min read
4 Best Resources for Plastic Surgery Residency Interviews.
Online Plastic Surgery interviews resources are the best way to prepare for your residency interview. This article details the best methods and resources to prepare for your ST3 or residency interview.
4 min read