Facing up to our faces

Press, 7 May 1983, Page 20

Facing up to our faces

The Naked Face. Edited by Bernard Siatt and Lloyd Carlsen. Hutchinson, 1982. 186 pp. $19.50. (Reviewed by Lorna Buchanan) Two Canadian doctors have edited a selection of papers about the human face by 10 of their North American colleagues. Plastic surgeons are heavily represented, along with such specialities as dermatology and psychiatry. The authors suggest that how people feel about their looks, and how they seek to change those looks, can reveal much about personality. At the core of the book is the pursuit of , the elusive quality of facial beauty. Cosmetic surgery, not to repair accidental damage but as an attempt to arrest ageing or to enhance appearance, is relatively rare in New Zealand. However, there is a fascination with the subject that is almost macabre. This book will help, understanding of those who seek a “face lift,” as well as describing how this can be achieved. As a guide to reconstructive improvement it is excellent. ’ The book offers much .more. It has for instance, a detailed section on the variety, use and care of contact lenses, and a discussion of the composition of

human skin that leads to a better understanding of what the skin can tolerate. (Several contributors mention that smoking ages the skin.) The book ranges as far as hair transplants, dental techniques, and even earpiercing. The contributors are not necessarily enthusiasts for cosmetic surgery in aH situations. They note that how we see ourselves may be a distorted picture of the way others see us. Selfconsciousness about a blemish, for instance, may be misplaced; others may not notice it. If no-one else notices, then which is required: a change of nose shape, or a change of attitude by the personality behind the nose? The effects of congenital defects, especially on a family which has a child with a defect, is sensibly handled with advice on how best to approach a surgeon to discuss correction. The authors warn that such surgery can be risky, but that some will prefer the risks to the prospect of remaining deformed. Although the book has been written for a North American audience, it will find interested readers in New Zealand. However, its authorship needs to be kept in mind, not only because of differences here in what may be available from the medical profession, but because social pressures and attitudes here towards appearance and facial blemishes may differ markedly from those of the United States.