Foreword
As plastic surgery has evolved in recent years, the amount of information that the patient should be aware of has increased tremendously. Perhaps the most valuable fact to be transmitted to our patients pertains to the limits of the surgical procedure. The plastic surgeon is sometimes seen as a sculptor of the living tissue, dealing with an individual who rationalizes but has idealizations, someone who is both conscious and unconscious, with a body and soul. Although plastic surgery is a noble branch of general surgery, a proper understanding of the surgeon’s limitations is fundamental when assessing aesthetic impairments. A realistic expectation can only be identified once the patient understands that, unlike the sculptor and painter, the plastic surgeon must obey the laws of anatomy and proportion. Harmony and equilibrium are the tools with which the surgeon will attain his results.
In this book, Urs Victor Burki explains to his readers, in clear language, the art and science of plastic surgery, referring to the great artists of the past who enhance our sensitivity; but he also highlights our limits as surgeons.Ivo Pitanguy