Plastic Surgery: A Practical Guide to Operative Care by Bruce Mast fills the gap between existing pocket handbooks and encyclopedic library shelf editions. The book is geared towards plastic surgeons early in their careers. The focus is on commonly encountered conditions and is not intended to be an all-inclusive resource. All the surgical chapters are uniformly organized, with discussion of goals and objectives, patient presentation, surgery preparation, treatment, postoperative care, outcomes, and questions.

The book is divided into eight sections, starting with science and principles which discusses impacted anatomy and different techniques such as grafts, flaps, microsurgery, lasers, and radiant energy. Subsequent sections cover skin and tissue conditions; pediatric plastic surgery; reconstructive and aesthetic craniofacial techniques; hand and upper extremity reconstruction; breast surgery inclusive of augmentation, mastopexy, reduction, reconstruction, and oncoplastic approaches; chest, trunk, and lower extremity reconstruction; and body contouring techniques including liposuction, abdominoplasty, and lower body lift.