The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery [Paperback]

Frederick N. Lukash (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2010

The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery, by Dr. Frederick N. Lukash, is the only complete guide to this ever-expanding phenomenon. Written by the American Society of Plastic Surgery‘s acknowledged expert and official media spokesperson on pediatric and adolescent plastic surgery, this book answers those tough questions parents of potential teenage plastic surgery candidates have: Will surgery increase their child’s self-esteem and help them fit in better? Or is it a dangerously easy solution to deeper issues? When is surgery right, and when is it not?

Interviewed in The New York Times and featured on Discovery Health among many other media outlets, Lukash guides families through every step of the process, from finding the perfect-fit doctor and applying for medical insurance to surgery and finally to recovery and a changed life. A virtual, free consultation with a renowned expert in the field, the book doesn’t just offer easy solutions to teen’s body-image problems but helps parents understand the emotional, psychological and social dilemmas involved.

Complete with action plans, real-life stories and pictures, The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery offers advice on what can, can’t and shouldn’t be done—and on how to spot the doctors who will exploit a teen’s fragile sense of self-esteem as well as his or her parent’s pocketbook. Most important, Lukash provides a useful red light/yellow light/green light guide for considering teen plastic surgery.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this useful guide to cosmetic surgery for teens, the author, a plastic surgeon, makes a compelling case for performing procedures on adolescents who just want to feel “normal.” He offers anonymous real-life case studies so readers can think about whether they’d say yes to the knife for a 14-year-old boy whose ears stuck out, a 15-year-old boy who developed breasts, a 14-year-old girl whose breasts were asymmetrical, or an 18-year-old girl whose skin sagged after she lost 147 pounds. In most cases, Lukash seems unabashedly pro-surgery. When his own teen daughters asked for nose jobs, he consented. Oddly, for a “safe and sane” guide, Lukash writes that he will do surgery on the outer lips of teens’ vaginas if “there is a real issue of embarrassment or physical deformity,” noting that this quick procedure is popular now that teens are “sexually active at younger ages.” He does nix permanent makeup and buttock, calf, and pectoral implants. Lukash is obviously knowledgeable, but his advice-filled book may come across as too boosterish for many readers. --Karen Springen

Review

"It’s a necessary book, and one I wish had been available to the parents of the teens who underwent cosmetic procedures—200,000 of them—in the U.S. last year."
—The New Yorker

"This book fills a definite need in public library and consumer health collections."
—Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: BenBella Books (November 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935618091
• ISBN-13: 978-1935618096
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,135,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frederick N. Lukash MD is a board certified plastic surgeon specializing in pediatric and adolescent body image issues. He has been in practice for 32 years in Manhattan and Manhasset, NY and is on staff at The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center and the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System. His book The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery is a finalist in the health category for Foreword Magazine.
Dr. Lukash has appeared on many national media programs as an expert in his field.
My web-site is www.drlukash.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars HONEST, INFORMATIVE, A MUST READ!! January 23, 2011

By GEE

Format:Paperback

For any parent, teen, young adult who is contemplating plastic surgery this is a must read guide!!!!

Dr. Lukash's chapters are filled with so much information ,pictures & real life accounts. That give any reader a clear & concise framework of what one may expect if they choose to go through with having a procedure.

Dr. Lukash's voice of reason, expertise in the field & his dedication to doing "plastic surgery for the right reasons & right patients" are clearly showcased in this book.

After looking at the live accounts & photos of patients that Dr. Lukash has transformed: The procedures were amazing and done for the right reasons. They were all procedures that were necessary to the patient self esteem.

He real is a true professional & and artist in his own way. This is a very serious profession & Dr. Lukash is a credit to his field

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, honest and helpful - a must read! December 11, 2011

By RaFa

Format:Paperback

I would recommend this book to any teenager or young adult who's looking to undergo plastic surgery. Any age group would appreciate this book and find it helpful because the content transcends generations. Personally, I am in my early/mid 20's, and I read this book to help navigate the ins and outs of rhinoplasty, and to understand facial balance and proportion - which all good plastic surgeons take into account when performing rhinoplasty. I wanted to be proactive and understand it myself, in order to be an informed consumer and do the best that I could in choosing the right surgeon (obviously a very important decision). This book is filled with substance and content, and is thankfully not tight-lipped or filled with the "fluff" that I was skeptical about encountering given that it is written by a plastic surgeon himself. It sheds light and educates the reader on so many different types of plastic surgery - male/famale, the face, and several different areas of the body. Dr. Lukash impressed me with his tremendous amount of knowledge, insight, experience...and also importantly, compassion. His book is honest, straightforward, and direct -- all qualities that I look for in a plastic surgeon. All in all, I found his book informative and a must-read for any young adult considering plastic surgery.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book Great Doc! August 3, 2011

By Lani

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dr. Lukash's book is a great honest read. He understands the importance of self confidence and he helps teens and parents understand how plastic surgery can be a confidence booster. I also happen to know that he is a very skilled doctor and he practices what he preaches. Even if you are not using Dr. Lukash for a procedure this book will help you through your decisions and will be a very valuable source of information.