Mending lips and closing gaps.

Operation PHILPLAST is neither original nor unique. Moreover, it is a tribute to our specialty that many plastic surgeons now unselfishly offer their skills through a multitude of programs in many foreign lands. Some believe that training and service cannot be combined. We strongly disagree. If the time-honored principles of supervision and progressive responsibility are practiced, the results, both educationally and surgically, are spectacular. When plastic surgeons offer their expertise abroad, they become effective ambassadors of good will. Such foreign policy is straightforward and difficult to misinterpret or distort. In the process of operating and teaching, a variety of gaps are closed: in lips, in education, in culture. Giving lip service, we conclude, is not only worthwhile; it is exhilarating.