Beauty — but not at any price. That is the central argument of this book, which is opposed to extreme forms of aesthetic surgery that result in stereotypical appearances. The author defends a different idea of beauty: the expressive beauty emanating from each human. This is an untapped source everyone possesses.

Taking a position for or against aesthetic surgery is not the issue here. Instead, one must think primarily in terms of beauty, so as to stop subjecting individuals to norms, diktats, ideal proportions and compulsory models. Aesthetic surgery should be used as a means to correct what “bothers” an individual, serving his or her needs to recover a sense of personal coherence. That is what it should do, no more and no less.

From this perspective, surgery is not to be excluded, but neither should it be encouraged. When choosing surgery — a decision that should be reached after calm reflection — one should not ignore a number of excesses, whether arising from patients' demands or from abusive surgical practices.

In this appeal for a new perception of beauty, which goes against some existing trends, there transpires a real desire to reconcile women with their own images — with or without surgery.



This book gives answers to the questions women ask about their appearance and about aesthetic surgery. Arguing for a balanced, carefully thought-out approach to surgery that is respectful of patients, Doctor Hagège proposes a particular French approach to aesthetic surgery, of which he is one of the best representatives. Specific issues such as facelifts and failed procedures are also dealt with here.

Doctor Jean-Claude Hagège is a specialist in aesthetic-reconstructive plastic surgery. He serves as an expert to the Paris Court of Appeals and is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic-Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. He is the author of Le Pouvoir de Séduire and Vous êtes Belle, among other works.