Plastic Fantastic

My book review on Alex Kuczynski's Beauty Junkies ran yesterday in the Oregonian. It's a horrifying (the book, not the review) peek into the world of plastic surgery. Check it out. Or just stay here and read it:

Entering the strange cosmos of cosmetic surgery
Sunday, October 29, 2006
BY MIRIAM WOLF
W e've entered an age when moviegoers are likely to be more entertained by guessing which actor has had cosmetic surgery than by the actual plot of the film they are watching; an age when women in their 20s feel the need to get "prophylactic" shots of Botox to stop facial wrinkles before they ever start; and when a face lift or breast enhancement has gone from a slightly shameful secret to a proudly displayed accessory of a high-end lifestyle.

In "Beauty Junkies: Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession With Cosmetic Surgery," New York Times reporter Alex Kuczynski shines a metaphorical light that is bright enough to reveal the scars of those surgeries on individuals and our culture.

It's juicy reading. Kuczynski doesn't spare the details of procedure junkies like her friend Robert, who maintains relationships with several doctors so he can get shots of Botox (a weakened form of botulism toxin that paralyzes facial muscles) every eight weeks, instead of the six-month break between shots that doctors recommend. As the chapter on Botox closes, Robert's heading into his doctor's office to get shots in his palms, the soles of his feet and his underarms. Kuczynski notes, "His goal is to live a life without wrinkles or sweat."

Then there's the Hollywood housewife who, after liposuction, a tummy tuck, face lifts and breast enhancement, underwent genital cosmetic surgery because, " 'I've spent so much money for the rest of me to look like Dolly Parton,' she says, 'so why should that . . . look like Willie Nelson?' "

But "Beauty Junkies" is more than the sum of its horror-story parts. Kuczynski delves into many facets of plastic surgery, from its history as a way to make the grievously wounded or deformed look more human to the money issues that drive the industry today. She makes surreal hay from a visit to the American Board of Plastic Surgery's trade show, where she fondles silicone implants, attends the "Effective Marketing Techniques for Plastic Surgeons" seminar and checks out her pores on a high-tech diagnostic machine.

She also looks into the sociological reasons for our obsession. Going beyond the easy answers and cheap shots about women of a certain age, Kuczynski looks for deeper cultural markers. She implicates factors as disparate as the mainstreaming of pornographic images in advertising, the peripatetic nature of our society, even managed-care health insurance and, yes, the cult of youth and perfection.

Kuczynski is not just a plastic surgery critic; she's also been a client, and has her own story of addiction, escalation and remorse to tell (". . . was it wrong to pay my mortgage late so I could get some Botox?"). It adds even more layers of depth to this already meticulously researched and highly entertaining book. Give it to those you love before they go "under the knife."

Miriam Wolf is a Portland writer.