We are excited to co-edit this issue of Seminars in Plastic Surgery on Advances in Virtual Surgical Planning and Three-Dimensional Printing in Facial Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery.

The statement by Sir Harold Gilles “Thou Shalt make a plan and a pattern for that plan” highlights the historic significance of preoperative planning in surgery and in particular plastic surgery of the face. Dr. Gillies' hand drawn illustrations of his surgical plans in the textbook (Plastic Surgery of The Face; 1920) embody the ethos of preoperative planning in plastic surgery. In addition to the advantages of producing guides and templates for surgical execution, virtual surgical planning (VSP) allows for thorough evaluation of the deformity and real time spent in dwelling over current shape and a pathway to achieving a better one.

With the cutting-edge technology available today and a tremendous enthusiasm for preoperative planning, the expectations are efficient execution of surgical procedures along with achieving better outcomes. Additionally, this technology can allow the young surgeon to have the opportunity to achieve outcomes that could only be achieved in the past by highly experienced surgeons. Acquiring data through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, laser scanning, and three-dimensional photography (3DP) is routine in plastic surgery and used daily for planning cranial vault remodeling, facial feminization surgery, head and neck reconstruction using free tissue transfer, as well as facial aesthetic surgery. Also, the incorporation of point of care VSP and 3DP in academic centers is gaining popularity and providing a convenient, more efficient, and perhaps cost-effective way to deliver this technology to patients in the U.S. and globally.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the contributing authors who are dear friends and true experts in this field. We are honored and sincerely thankful to Dr. Edward Buchanan for inviting us to edit this issue and to the team at Thieme for doing all the work to get this journal published.

Article published online:
07 December 2022

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