Everything You Need to Know About Cosmetic Surgery

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

This century’s two world wars resulted in numerous cases of soldiers
grievously mutilated but fated to survive their injuries. In locales
like East Grinstead, England, a group of dedicated surgeons emerged
whose raison d’кtre was to repair these combatants sufficiently to
allow their return to real, albeit tenuous, societal interaction.
Initially trained as general surgeons, they developed techniques of
reconstruction and modification that became the basis for what authors
Harkness and Farran call “cosmetic plastic surgery.”

Defined as “elective surgery done for aesthetic purposes alone,”
cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular, with more than 400,000
procedures a year in the United States. Written by two journalists
without direct medical association, this book is for the most part
informative and unbiased. Each chapter discusses what the various
surgical techniques can and cannot achieve. Commendably, the reader is
challenged to assess whether the surgery is right for him or her.

Although soft tissue management is covered, there is no consideration
given to hard tissue alteration. Thus, while significant space is
devoted to the rearrangement of noses, ears, and facial creases, there
is nothing on, for example the correction of a harmful bite due to jaw
deformity.

This lucidly written and thought-provoking book will appeal to the
interested layperson.