100 Questions and Answers About Plastic Surgery;Diane Gerber, MD, FACS and Marie Czenko Kuechel, MA; 2005; Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc., Sudbury, MA; 282 pages; $19.95.
This book is written for consumers of plastic surgery and is organized in a Q & A format with 100 clearly-stated questions and answers. The most valuable part of the book is the clear writing and no-nonsense approach. The book is an easy read if one is reading it straight through, and it is also easy to use as a reference. The book is organized into 12 chapters, which are divided into subheads, so it is easy to pinpoint information. There is a comprehensive index in the back of the book as well.
The first three chapters are dedicated to helping patients reflect upon their motivations to have surgery. There is unbiased information given about the various board certifications that surgeons may hold and the value of having a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
A straightforward section on safety discusses the various practice settings in which a patient may have surgery. There is a solid section on risks and complications of surgery.
The rest of the book answers questions about the specific plastic surgical procedures as well as "plastic surgery without surgery" (Botox(R), fillers, peels, etc.). The book does not use photographs but rather artist's renderings, provided courtesy of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The advantage to these drawings is that they are accurate but without the "gore" factor, remembering that this book is aimed at the lay public.
One of my favorite features of the book are the shaded sidebars of additional information (mostly statistical "fun facts") that augment the text (e.g., "breast lift is the least common of breast procedures. The ASPS reported nearly 67,000 procedures performed in 2003."). These informational tidbits are sprinkled throughout the book.
This is a book that I would recommend to potential patients. It would be a valuable book for a plastic surgeon or plastic surgery nurse to have on his or her bookshelf.
-Kathleen Walsh Spencer, MSN, MA, RN, CS, CPSN
Editor of PSN, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan