In this week's edition
- ✍️ Letter from P'Fella
Who has cadavers? - 🤓 The Sunday Quiz
*Drumroll🥁* We've got a new winner! - 🚑 Technique Tip
Marking and dissecting the SCIP flap. - 🆕 New Feature
Build the team with us! - 📖 What Does the Evidence Say
SCIP vs. the "workhorse flaps". - 🔥 Articles of the Week
Original SCIP flap study, modified SCIP flap, & SCIP tricks: With 1-sentence summaries. - 💕 Feedback
Suggest ideas & give feedback!
A Letter from P'Fella
Should Plastic Surgery Get Serious About Cadavers?
And yet, most of us don’t get access. Not because cadavers don’t exist, but because of patchwork ethics, laws, and logistics. Some countries ban them outright, others make them so tied up in red tape they may as well not exist. The result? We’re raising surgeons with immaculate exam scores but shaky hands.
So maybe the real question isn’t where’s the best cadaver course; it’s bigger than that. Should we, as a specialty, be pushing harder to make cadaver training a global standard? Should every trainee, no matter where they live, have the chance to learn this way?
Because right now, cadaver training is a privilege, not a baseline. And if we don’t change that, we risk producing a generation of plastic surgeons who can consult beautifully but can’t operate with confidence.
👉 So what do you think: do we double down and make cadaver access a priority for plastic surgery training worldwide? And if so, who’s willing to lead the charge?
With love,
P’Fella ❤️
The Sunday Quiz
*Drumroll🥁* We've Got a New Winner!
We're thrilled to announce the winner of this edition's quiz. After seven rounds of questions on plastic surgery, our top scorer is AL!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us throughout the series. If you missed it, don't worry. New quizzes and challenges are already in the works!
Technique Tip
Marking and Dissecting the SCIP Flap
This week’s technique tip features a visual walkthrough by JP Hong on marking and dissecting the SCIP flap.
In this short video, you'll see:
- Preoperative surface marking
- Use of Doppler for perforator localisation
- Tips on safe dissection and preserving perforators
Watch the video below 🎥
New Feature
Build the Team With Us
We’ll reach out to potential collaborators directly!
What Does the Evidence Say?
SCIP vs the "Workhorse Flaps"
A systematic review of 174 oncologic patients showed excellent outcomes with SCIP flaps, with only two cases of total flap loss and primary donor site closure achieved in all patients (Rosti et al., 2023). Recent clinical experience confirms the reliability of SCIP flaps across various body regions, with a 4.7% flap loss rate and high patient satisfaction when given donor site choice (Franchi et al., 2025).
Articles of the Week
3 Interesting Articles with One-Sentence Summaries
The superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP) flap offers a thin, customizable flap with concealed donor site and minimal morbidity, though its small-caliber perforators demand delicate microsurgical technique.
Elevating perforator flaps in the superficial fascial plane yields consistently thin, viable flaps (~5–8 mm) with good survival and fewer secondary debulking procedures, improving both function and aesthetics.
With thorough preoperative Doppler mapping, the SCIP flap accommodates major SCIA variations and can incorporate skin, fat, lymphatics, fascia, nerve, and bone, offering a versatile low-morbidity reconstructive option.
