“At the end of the day, patient outcome is the most important thing, so we wanted to put forth a textbook that allows surgeons to get better outcomes.” – Babak Azizzadeh, MD
I was always interested in head and neck anatomy, so facial plastic and reconstructive surgery was just the perfect ideal specialty. I had always wanted to sub-specialize and be focused on one area of the body and this specialty allowed me to really hone in my skills on one particular area, and it’s worked out amazingly well.
Facial plastic surgery will always be a blend of tried-and-true traditional operations that we know work — you know, rhinoplasty procedures, face lift procedures, blepharoplasty — and modifying them to be at cutting edge. Our specialty as a whole tries to push that envelope and come up with ways that the traditional operations can made more modern through better analysis, better techniques, and less downtime. Also, today I think the trends have really moved towards less surgical procedures, and non-surgical procedures that address areas of the face and neck region. So, for example, one area that’s been really growing significantly is volume restoration. In the past, most people just did face lifts without really addressing the volume laws that we all know now exist, so as a result, injectable fillers, fat grafting and so forth have really been advanced to a whole new level.
Today, what I would consider aesthetic and reconstructive medicine and surgery consists of four core specialties: plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, and dermatology. Traditionally, everyone’s been very closed to working with other specialties. Plastic surgeons usually publish books with plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons with facial plastic surgeons, etc. Moving into the future, the specialties will need to come together, and that was one of the real thrusts of both Master Techniques in Facial Rejuvenation as well as Master Techniques in Rhinoplasty to really bring together the specialties, because we can learn from each other and advance the art and science of these procedures.
We wanted residents, young surgeons, and even experienced surgeons to see what their colleagues are doing. We really look at the masters — the people who have been doing this for a long time and have been the best in the field. As a result, I think these two books will really be able to allow all types of specialties and all experience levels improve their skill sets and really get better outcomes. At the end of the day, patient outcomes are the most important thing, so we wanted to put forth a textbook that allows surgeons to get better outcomes.
Bio
Babak Azizzadeh, MD is a Harvard-trained facial plastic surgeon who specializes exclusively in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, eyes and nose. He is the director of The Center for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, is board-certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, and serves as an assistant clinical professor at UCLA.
Dr. Azizzadeh is also West Coast Surgical Coordinator for Medical Missions for Children and is a member of the Reconstructive Surgery Team of the ROSE Fund, a national non-profit organization committed to ending violence against women and children. Among his medical publications, Dr. Azizzadeh is author of Master Techniques in Rhinoplasty and Master Techniques in Facial Rejuvenation.
Related Authors: Mark R. Murphy, MD; William Numa, MD
