"Fascinating-a terrific read combining meticulous historical research with compelling personal stories."
-Kelly Parsons, MD, author of Doing Harm and Under the Knife.

The story of modern plastic surgery began in the trenches of World War I. Innovative surgeons invented life-altering methods to restore the victims of rifles and grenades, and soon founded a new specialty known as plastic surgery. With every decade their ingenuity devised new innovations that pushed the entire field of medicine forward.

From kidney transplants to breast implants to facelifts to finger reattachments, this is the story of the birth, growth and amazing triumphs of the past century of plastic surgery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
R. Barrett Noone, MD, is a former U.S. Air Force surgeon, past president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and the first Executive Director/CEO of The American Board of Plastic Surgery.

During his half-century of learning, teaching, and practicing plastic surgery atthe University of Pennsylvania and its affiliate hospitals, he became a pioneer in the development of the concepts and techniques of breast reconstruction at the time of mastectomy.

He lives with his wife, Barbara, in suburban Philadelphia.

"Dr. Noone traces the evolution of the surgical correction of deformity, insightfully emphasizing not an imperfection's size, but rather its meaning to the patient."
-Mark B. Constantian, MD, plastic surgeon and author of Childhood Abuse, Body Shame, and Addictive Plastic Surgery: The Face of Trauma.

"Through the telling of inspiring patient stories, Dr. Noone demonstrates how creativity and innovation have shaped plastic surgery and restored peoples' lives."
-Richard Redett, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.