Overall, I have to say that this book is one of the most useful I've read on the topics of plastic or cosmetic surgery. It's filled with practical tips, insightful quotes, questions to ask your doctor (and yourself), and handy-dandy checklists, quizzes, and worksheets. If you're considering going under the knife to improve your appearance, you couldn't go wrong having this handbook along for the ride.
- Checklists, checklists, checklists! (including procedure-specific lists of questions to ask)
- Left-brainers will love the surgeon "score-card" rating quiz and cost tabulation worksheet.
- Provides very useful tips on how to screen potential surgeons on the phone.
- Addresses not just the whats and the hows, but the whys. Really gives you something to think about.
- Offers much more than just the same old same old. Even nip-and-tuck veterans will learn something.
- A bit repetitious. Unless you have a really thick skull and need this, it can wear thin.
- Occasional typos can be distracting.
- Could use more space for notes from consultations and answers to checklist questions.
- Makes clear what cosmetic surgery can and can't do, and gives 15 questions to determine if you are a candidate.
- Lists the seven key questions you must ask yourself before having cosmetic surgery.
- Provides in-depth advice on how to make that all-important decision: Who will you choose to be your surgeon?
- Has checklists to be used before, during, and after your consultation for any one of the 14 most popular cosmetic procedures.
- Offers crucial information about anesthesia and other factors affecting your safety in the operating room.
- Thoroughly addresses a subject that should never be (but sometimes is) treated as an afterthought: recovery and post-op care.
- Contains a cost-calculating worksheet and surgical practice "scoring" system to help evaluate all of your options.
- Includes information on today's most popular category of cosmetic procedures: injectables.
- The Appendices offer a plastic surgery glossary and a list of companies that offer financing for cosmetic procedures.
Robert Kotler, MD, has done a huge service to cosmetic surgery-seekers by writing The Essential Cosmetic Surgery Companion. The book is aptly named, because it is meant to go along with you like a trusted friend to your consultations as you do the research needed to choose the right surgeon for your cosmetic procedure.
Not Exactly a Page-Turner, But...
Okay, the truth is that this book may come up a bit short in the "sit-down-and-read-it-cover-to-cover-in-one-sitting" category, as I tried to do so and became a bit bored. The good news is, that's not the point of this book.
Unless you're reading it for the purpose of writing a review, it's not the kind of book where you need to scour every page in a prescribed order. The chapters are well-organized and clearly labeled as to what you will find within, so you can feel free to read them on a need-to-know basis (although I highly recommending getting around to every chapter at some point). When it comes to the checklists and worksheets, it's more of a reference material, meant to be used in a piecemeal fashion for whatever your specific purpose may be.
Aside from the checklists, there is plenty of good stuff that applies to anyone and everyone who might be considering cosmetic surgery. From beginning to end, it's chock-full of information and insight into all kinds of things that are important when mulling over such an important decision as having surgery to alter one's appearance.
A Respected Medical Professional Who Feels Like an Old Friend
Once you understand it for what it is, The Essential Cosmetic Surgery Companion is actually an enjoyable read. Dr. Kotler is not only knowledgeable but also quite personable and down-to-earth, and it really comes through in this book. I truly appreciated his caring, "err on the side of safety" attitude and his ability to artfully steer clear of sensationalism or (too much) self-promotion. By the end of the book, I felt as though I knew him personally.
One Sticking Point
If I had to find a bone to pick with this book, it would be the fact that though the checklists do include blank (ruled) space to write in your doctor's answers to the provided questions, there are not multiple copies of each checklist. (Both the author and myself do recommend having consultations with more than one surgeon before making your decision.) There is also very little space in which to write notes from your consultations.
If this book is truly meant to be used as a workbook and go with you to each consultation, it would make sense to have multiple copies of each checklist right there in the book, rather than just suggesting that the reader make photocopies. While I understand there are always cost-related printing limitations, my feeling is that you shouldn't try to have it both ways. If you're going to market yourself as a workbook and leave space for notes, you should commit to it all the way and make sure the reader has all the space he or she needs.
