The attraction of plastic surgery is its tremendous scope, and the multitude of approaches for every clinical situation. Yet it is precisely these aspects of plastic surgery that make its study and teaching especially challenging. Although there exist several excellent atlases and texts on this topic, there are few references that are compact, affordable, and timely, while still managing to focus on the practical, day-to-day practice of plastic surgery. The purpose of Practical Plastic Surgery is to provide a guide to plastic surgery as it is practiced in academic medical centers. As such, it is written with the resident and fellow in mind. It is the intention of this book to be useful to general surgeons and other healthcare providers. Many of the chapters, such as basic concepts in wound repair and dressings provide information relevant to all surgical specialties. Over 75 authors have contributed, many of whom are considered to be among the leaders in their respective fields. Each chapter is concise and focused on the practical aspects of the topic. Historical and out-dated procedures are largely ignored.