Psychological Aspects of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery: Clinical, Empirical, and Ethical Perspectives

Written by leading psychologists, psychiatrists, and plastic surgeons, this volume provides a thorough understanding of the psychological issues involved in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. The book examines the relationships among physical appearance, body image, and psychosocial functioning, reviews the literature on the psychological functioning of plastic surgical patients, and offers clinically effective recommendations on psychological assessment and care of specific patient groups.

Major sections detail the psychological issues surrounding specific disfigurements and reconstructive procedures and cosmetic surgery of the face and body. These chapters include brief questionnaires for psychological assessment of patients. Concluding chapters discuss bioethical, professional, and legal issues.

PsycCRITIQUES, 08-FEB-06, Volume 51, Issue 6, David B. Sarwer -- "Plastic surgery issues will increasingly affect the role clinical health psychologists play in medical settings. This edited text is one of the very few in the field that explores the psychological aspects of this area of medicine. In addition to the three psychologists and three surgeons as editors of this book, a very impressive list of contributors adds strength to this text for both psychologists and surgeons. In addition to being very readable, the editors state ways to build a stronger bridge between the perspectives of the plastic surgeon and the psychologist. As a clinical health psychologist in an academic medical center, I find this book to be a very welcomed addition to my armamentarium of resources. The book, although scholarly in its approach, is very clinical and useful. Practical information is given along with theory. This book is broken down into logical sections and goes beyond the general medical and psychological terminology to discuss the person in society and societal behaviors. Although not suitable for laypersons, it can be useful to all medical and psychological personnel, whether plastic surgeons or psychologists. There are other books written by psychologists and by surgeons on the psychological aspects of plastic surgery, but very few are written by both, which demonstrates the collaboration between the two disciplines and the value of such interaction. They stress the importance of the awareness of mental health issues by plastic/reconstructive surgeons and that more work needs to be done by both to enhance this collaboration. This team has developed a series of easy-to-administer questionnaires that will help plastic surgeons select cosmetic surgery patients likely to experience positive psychological outcomes. I am very impressed by some of the topics covered by the authors. Given the richness of this topic, this book is written as a resource book for psychologists and plastic/reconstructive surgeons and accomplishes this purpose very well. This is a most welcomed addition to the literature and resources in this area."-PsycCRITIQUES The Behavior Therapist -- "If there was ever any doubt about the need for this text, it disappeared the first evening I eagerly began reading this multidisciplinary overview. The current text aspires to provide a comprehensive and practical review of the scientific and clinical literature on the psychological aspects of plastic surgery. Although primarily written for plastic surgeons, it is likely of great interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals interested in the psychological life of plastic surgery patients. I could not imagine a better team of researchers to lead this ambitious endeavor. I emphatically believe that the editors have achieved their stated goal. It should help professionals to more effectively treat patients. The text is an outstanding resource for mental health researchers and clinicians interested in health psychology, body image, or the psychology of physical appearance."-The Behavior Therapist Doody's Book Review Service -- "Anyone who works in the field of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery should have a copy of this book. The subtle nuances and overt personality traits that characterize plastic surgery patients are identified and discussed in a manner that is easy to understand."-Doody's Book Review Service (Weighted Numerical Score: 93; 4 Stars)