Author(s): TASCHEN ANGELIKA

Culture & Ideas

Skin deep Do you ever find yourself wondering, "Has she had work done?" Do you flip through supermarket tabloids to see who's the latest star to have gone under the knife? Do you secretly adore before and after photos? Well, let's face it, who doesn't? We all have a fascination for body transformations, and while a job well-done is always impressive, even more stunning are the plethora of obvious boob jobs, botched face lifts, and overdone botox foreheads that are in evidence in the world today. In places like Hollywood, the mystery isn't who's had work done, but who hasn't. Indeed, aesthetic surgery is more common than most would like to admit; those who have been to the world's best surgeons can get away with lying about it, while others have the evidence written all over their faces. From liposuction to lip implants, this book explores all the ins and outs of body sculpting, focusing on the artistry of aesthetic surgery and the extremes to which people go to "improve" their looks. Topics include; History of aesthetic surgery (with unpublished medical photos!
Ethnicity and aesthetic surgery; Surgery in movies; Spotlight on Ivo Pitanguy, the "Michelangelo of the scalpel"; Interviews with the world's most famous aesthetic surgeons; Before and after photos of transformed body parts, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes; Caricatures and jokes about aesthetic surgery; Bibliography including links to plastic surgery websites