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Abbe flap	Reconstruction of a labial (lip) defect with a local flap from the opposing lip (upper/lower lip) based on the blood supply from the labial artery (a. labialis).
ABCDE rule	A tool for systematic clinical assessment of a nevus A: Asymmetry (asymmetry when drawing a line through the birthmark) B: Border (irregular borders that are difficult to delineate) C: Color (the presence of more than one color: e.g. different shades of blue, red, brown, and black) D: Diameter (>6mm in diameter) E: Evolving (changes in size, color, shape, incident itching, bleeding, or scarring).
Abdominoplasty	A surgical procedure to remove excess skin and subcutaneous layers of fat from the abdomen. Multiple techniques exist for addressing multiple regions. It is often due to more extensive excess skin and/or skin looseness in more than one plane. E.g. Fleur de Lis with a vertical abdominal incision, or a 360˚ Belt Lipectomy where the skin is tightened in a belt shape around the abdomen and lower back.  Link: https://plastsurgeon.com/massive-weight-loss/abdominoplasty/anatomy/
Abscess	A collection of pus in a cavity formed by necrosis due to an inflammatory process.
Acne vulgaris	A common term for a group of skin diseases of papular nature, which occurs in the follicular apparatus in seborrheic areas. They can be classified based on their type and degree.
Adenoma	A benign tumor derived from glandular tissue.
Adnexal tumor	Adnexal cell tumors are derived from connective tissue, and examples of this are sebaceous carcinoma, trichilemma carcinoma, or pilomatrix carcinoma.
Adson forceps	Small surgical forceps characterized by ‘teeth’ at the holding jaws, in comparison to the anatomical forceps that has grooves. These forceps are used for gentle tissue handling, e.g. tissue of the face.  Link: https://plastsurgeon.com/surgical-instruments-2/forceps/
Advancement flap	A common term for a local skin flap, that can be moved to a primary defect by advancement. E.g. V-Y-flap or H-flaps. Link: https://plastsurgeon.com/facial-flaps/advancement-flaps/
Aesthetic units	Various sites of the body, for instance, the face, consists of aesthetic units. Examples are the nose which consists of several units: ala nasi, dorsum, columella, etc.
Allis clamp	A surgical plier instrument with teeth, which can be used to hold tissue. Keeps its grasp by having the crémaillère. Link: https://plastsurgeon.com/surgical-instruments-2/clamps/
Alopecia	Baldness. The reason for this is manifold.
Anatomical forceps	Characterized by grooves at the holding jaws, in comparison to the Adson forceps which has teeth. It is, amongst other things, used for the management of skin grafts or nerves.  Link: https://plastsurgeon.com/surgical-instruments-2/forceps/
Angioma	A tumor derived from vascular or lymphatic vessels.
Anhidrosis	Lack of sweating.
Antia-Buch	A surgical procedure for reconstruction of the outer ear after partial excision of the helix. The skin which covers the ear cartilage is undermined and advanced towards the defect.
Antihelix	The convex part of the outer ear. It is Y-shaped and has the helix posteriorly and the concha anteriorly.
Antitragus	A protuberance of cartilage superior to the lobulus, which points anteriorly and is located opposite to tragus.
Aquacel burn	A dressing used for burn injuries. It keeps the wound moist while still allowing drainage of excess exudation.
Arcus zygomaticus	The underlying bone process forms the prominence of the cheekbone.
Areola	The pigmented area around the nipple. It contains 10-15 sebaceous glands (Glands of Montgomery), which produce oily secretions to protect the nipple during breastfeeding.
Atheroma	A benign epithelial cyst that contains sebum.
Augmentation, breast	Surgically increasing the size of the breast. It can be done with the patient’s tissue (autologous augmentation) or with implants of different compositions (silicone or saline).
Auricula	The auricle creates the aesthetic appearance of the ear. It is comprised of skin folded around a plate of elastic cartilage. The ear reaches downwards as a tapered structure, the earlobe (lobulus auricularis), where cartilage isn’t present. Anteriorly, the skin is thin and tightly bound, posteriorly it is looser and thicker.