The Beauty Prescription

June 23, 2008
Dermatologist Luftman and psychiatrist Ritvo, long-time best friends and "beauty buddies," dispatch beauty and self-realization advice from their respective areas of expertise in this breezy, effective self-help. "How to make yourself 20 percent more beautiful in just a few seconds?" Stop focusing on a static mirror image, which is not ever how other people see you. They shrug off magazine-cover standards and focus instead on "the most effective beauty regimen in the world... unstoppable, radiant self-esteem" resulting from self-worth and health. Count-your-blessings self-help standards take up a fair amount of space, but psychological concepts behind "inner beauty" ("the beauty-brain loop") are well-explained. Beauty specifics include a useful guide to skin care treatment organized by type and age, and an 80-question self-assessment quiz. Citing trends that Americans increasingly find woman over 50 as beautiful as those under 30, they assess that Oprah-level beauty maintenance costs at least $500,000 between the ages of 40 and 80; they also consider the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery. This guide from two medical doctors is light and efficient, but gains little fresh perspective from its pedigree.

July 15, 2008
It has been said that at 20 you have the face you were born with; at 50, you have the face you deserve. Psychiatrist Ritvo (Miller Sch. of Medicine) and dermatologist Luftman (UCLA), who are lifelong friends, explore what they call the Beauty-Brain Loop: when you feel good, you look good, and vice versa. They discuss ways in which we can boost our self-esteem and work on our attitudes so that our natural attributes shine through; they also address the many modern procedures available, short of plastic surgery, to enhance our looks and to preserve them as we age. There is, perhaps, more discussion of the use of Botox, fillers, and resurfacing techniques than women of average means can afford, but overall the authors emphasize self-acceptance, a reasonable regimen of hair and skin care, appropriate clothes, and a genuine interest in other people as the real beauty essentials. This well-organized and well-written discussion of what constitutes beauty will make an excellent addition to pop psychology and pop health collections.Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH

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