I remember buying the first edition of Plastic Surgery Facts. I was not alone in appreciating its easy to read format and the fact that it was born out of the author's revision notes made it all the more useful for those of us studying for our own Exit examinations in Plastic Surgery.

Since the second edition was published, Plastic Surgery training in the UK has undergone a major overhaul and the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme has provided detailed guidance on what is expected of trainees. The material in the new edition has been arranged to follow the syllabus as closely as possible; the chapter layout is based on the Key Topics. Obviously, discussion of everything on the syllabus is not possible in a book of this size, nor is this intended to be the scope of this book.

There was a great deal of information in the previous editions; this edition has focused on altering the layout and presenting the material in a more organized manner, to improve clarity. Of course, the material has been updated to include new material including the AJCC 2009 Staging for Melanoma and propranolol therapy for haemangiomas, for example. The article summaries were a favourite feature of the book and have been retained and updated. Every reference has been rechecked and reviewed; the full reference now given in a more standard format – first author, journal, year, volume and page numbers. Finally there are now line drawings that should make understanding certain topics much easier.