Interview with Dr. Andrew J. Kaufman

Why did you feel that it was important to write a book on this topic? What does your publication add to the field? 

This is a practical textbook on facial reconstruction. It is helpful for the novice or experienced surgeon. The goal of the Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition was to make facial reconstruction easier by making choice of repair, design and execution more straightforward and successful. I provide tips and pearls to help facial repair easier to understand and helps make seemingly complicated flaps less complicated and make repairs more aesthetic and functionally successful.

What is the most exciting aspect of the text? What chapter or topic covered in the Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition are you most excited about?  

The newly added videos add tremendous value to Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition. In the same way that the artist drawings helped to communicate key points in the first edition, the second edition now has more than twenty videos demonstrating many of the repairs, which helps readers better see how the author designed and executed many of the repairs.

Who will find the greatest value from Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition and why? 

The Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition is for anybody who performs facial reconstruction. It is designed for dermatologist, facial plastic surgeons and general plastic surgeons. It is designed for the novice surgeon as well as the advanced or expert surgeon. It is written in a way so that readers can easily read it at night or on an airplane or before addressing a specific defect on a specific site.

What new ideas, practices, or procedures do you hope your readers take away from your text? 

I hope that readers will feel more comfortable in putting new reconstructive techniques in their surgical armamentarium. Some surgeons experience may be limited by their training and experience. My hope is that Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition will open new techniques to facial reconstruction for some people. Every repair has certain tips or pearls that make it much easier. My hope is that the design elements and technique pearls will make repair easier and more successful for surgeons and their patients.

What problem do you hope the future generation of your specialty will be able to solve?

That more and more surgeons will be more comfortable to analyze a defect, design a reconstruction and perform a repair that will provide an excellent functional and aesthetic repair for their patients.

Is there anything else about the Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition you’d like to say? 

Practical Facial Reconstruction, 2nd Edition is a perfect companion piece to larger, more comprehensive textbooks on facial repair. Many surgeons have found it useful to refer to the first edition before performing a repair on a specific defect. With the addition of videos the second edition will be even more useful for readers.

About the Author

Dr. Andrew J. Kaufman is triple board certified in internal medicine, dermatology, and micrographic dermatologic surgery. He serves as a Clinical Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Kaufman practices privately in Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara, California. He is a frequent speaker, having delivered more than 236 lectures at events hosted by the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the American College of Mohs Surgery, and many other national and international meetings. Dr. Kaufman has authored more than thirty publications in scientific literature and book chapters. He is the author of Practical Facial Reconstruction (first edition, Wolters Kluwer) and co-editor of Flaps and Grafts in Dermatologic Surgery (Elsevier).

Local Flaps in Facial Reconstruction, 4th Edition 

By Shan R. Baker 

ISBN: 9780323683906 

Pub Date: March 15, 2021 

Reviewed by: Jeffrey S. Rosenthal, MD (Bridgeport Hospital) 

Description 

This fourth edition of a book on the use of local flaps has undergone a major revamp, with updated procedures, photographs, algorithms to assist in selecting the ideal flap design, and new clinical case studies. The generous selection of flaps presented for reconstruction of the scalp, face, and neck is ideal for any surgeons in this area of reconstructive surgery. This edition includes access to an ebook version. 

Purpose 

The purpose is to provide a vast array of reconstructive flaps for the repair of head and neck defects. 

Audience 

A good portion of this book is penned by the author, in order to maintain a “homogenous narrative.” This concern on the author’s part is not an issue, as the level of writing and expertise of all the contributors is outstanding. This is a worthwhile read for any reconstructive surgeons who wish to expand their knowledge about soft tissue defect closure of the scalp, face, and neck. 

Features 

This fourth edition is spectacular. Color illustrations and superb photographs offer visual aids throughout. Algorithms assist the surgeon in choosing the ideal flap necessary to accomplish wound closure. The various stages of reconstruction for each flap are demonstrated, so that the entirety of the reconstruction, from initial defect to the final state of healing, is displayed. The book is divided into three sections that encompass 28 chapters. 

A multitude of flaps and their design are presented in the first section to set the stage for the second section on the reconstruction of the facial structure. In this section the authors discuss eyelid, nose, lip, cheek, forehead, auricle, and scalp repair. The concluding section on adjunctive surgery offers considerations that center around tissue expansion, complications of flaps, revisions, and management of vascular anomalies of the face. Each of the chapters is succinctly written and highlighted with explanatory visual aids and case presentations that bring the written word to life. References are absent from the end of chapters in the print version; readers will need to access the ebook version to find them. 

Assessment 

Reconstructive surgeons will be rewarded by reading this well-written and informative book. 

©Doody’s Review Service, 2021, Jeffrey S. Rosenthal, MD (Bridgeport Hospital) Doody’s Score: 97 – 5 Stars!