Review: The Beauty Prescription by Debra Luftman, M.D. and Eva Ritvo, M.D.

Title: The Beauty Prescription: The Complete Formula for Looking and Feeling Beautiful
Author: Debra Luftman, M.D. and Eva Ritvo, M.D.
Pages: 304
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (June 26, 2008)
Genre: Non-Fiction / Beauty / Self-Help
Edition: Hardback - many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!!! And thanks go to Mini Book Expo for connecting me with the publisher!



Perfect for : Personal Use, Professional Use, Great for understanding beauty

In a nutshell: This book is written by two friends, one a dermatologist and the other a psychiatrist. The authors start with a bang! The opening pages have changed my life in a huge way! I have always struggled with self-confidence my entire life. The first page of the introduction promises to "tell you how to make yourself 20 percent more beautiful in just a few seconds" (page xi) - boy was I skeptical, and I have never been more wrong. After reading those first few pages, I had to put the book down and really think hard about what the authors were telling me. I even slept on it and got up in the morning, and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled to myself and realized that yes - I am more beautiful! I'm still astounded, and that is just based on the first few pages. The following pages and chapters provide the reader with valuable information pertaining to beauty (inner-beauty, health, outer-beauty and environment, all which make up the beauty-brain loop, all working together to create our beauty). The authors also provide you with some quizzes to help determine where your strengths and areas of opportunity are with your inner and outer beauty. They also give you the tools to work on those areas of opportunity. In all, you will learn how to improve your outer beauty on the surface, while also improving it from the inside out, by focusing on improving your inner beauty. This is a wonderful book, and I honestly think that anyone can learn something valuable from it!

From the Publisher:
From the Back: Every woman deserves to feel beautiful. But what does it mean to feel truly beautiful on the outside and the inside? In The Beauty Prescription, physicians Debra Luftman and Eva Ritvo have redefined beauty around a groundbreaking concept: The Beauty-Brain Loop. In this revealing, candid look at the science and spirit of beauty, Drs. Debra and Eva give women of all ages a prescription for mastering the Beauty-Brain Loop, including:
How to see beauty in everything around you
Making time to get fit and healthy
How a kind, loving, positive demeanor makes you more attractive
Staying beautiful in times of crisis
Understanding beauty products and cosmetic procedures
Creating a lifetime beauty plan
Every stage of the Loop-Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty, Health, and Environment-has the power to enhance your attractiveness, self-esteem, and well-being . . . if you know how to make the most of each one.
Packed with personal stories from Beauty Buddies, tips on physical and psychological wellness, wisdom from top professionals in the beauty industry, and much more, The Beauty Prescription is an owner's manual for every woman who is ready to move beyond today's narrow definition of beauty. If you're ready to become your most beautiful on the inside as well as the outside, Drs. Debra and Eva have the right medicine for you.

Overview & Table of Contents:
Overview
Best friends since they met at medical school twenty-five years ago, Dr. Debra, a Beverly Hills dermatologist, and Dr. Eva, a South Beach psychiatrist, join their expertise to take a unique look at beauty of the body and mind and have created this inspirational guide to getting gorgeous, inside and out. Their empowering message that all women are beautiful will help you discover how to bring out your maximum potential as you blossom into a more charismatic, self-assured, and multidimensional woman. That change starts with you, starting now.

Care for your health, the foundation of beauty
Learn the art of self care in today's busy world
Create and surround yourself with beauty wherever you go
Manage stress in ways that are healthful
Live with kindness, passion, empathy, and humor

Table of contents
Introduction: You’re Twenty Percent More Beautiful Than You Think
Part I: The Real Law of Attraction
Chapter 1: Beauty: Skin Deep and Deeper
Chapter 2: The Beauty-Brain Loop
Chapter 3: Give Yourself a Faith Lift
Chapter 4: The Beauty and the Brain Quiz
Part II: Living the Brain Loop
Chapter 5: Inner Beauty—It All Begins Here
Chapter 6: Health—Winning With the Hand You’re Dealt
Chapter 7: Outer Beauty—It’s OK to Want to Look Fantastic
Chapter 8: Environment—Living in the World You Make
Part III: Beautiful for Life
Chapter 9: Lending Nature a Hand
Chapter 10: Beauty 911
Chapter 11: Your Life Beauty Plan
Chapter 12: Wearing Pearls With Scrubs

First Paragraph:
We're going to tell you how to make yourself 20 percent more beautiful in just a few seconds. Impossible? Well, let's give it a try. first, look in the mirror. Then, while assessing your image, factor in the premise that other people see you as 20 percent better-looking than you see yourself. It's true.

Extended Review: The introduction will shock you and help you see yourself as 20% more beautiful than you already are. The first section will provide you with some key information regarding beauty, and what truly impacts a person's beauty. It will also help you determine the strengths and opportunities of your own inner and outer beauty. The next section will help you to improve those areas of opportunity you discovered in the first section. The last section will provide you with guidance beyond what the other sections have touched on.

Content: The book starts off with a very powerful introduction, and is followed by three sections: The Real Law of Attraction, Living the Beauty-Brain Loop, and Beautiful For Life. At the back of the book is a section with information about different beauty products in a broad range of prices (gentle cleansers had 12 products listed by name, providing a general price range for each).

Format: The book flows nicely from one section to the other, building on what the reader has already learned.

Readability: The book is easy to read and contains a lot of great information - some of it is life-altering (in a good way).

Overall: An information-packed book that helps talk about inner and outer beauty, providing the reader with the tools to become a more beautiful person. It also provides wonderful suggestions for different beauty products in all price ranges.

About the Authors: (From the publisher)
Debra B. Luftman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, has a busy private practice in Beverly Hills. In addition Debra lectures on topics including laser surgery, liposuction, skin aging, and sun protection. She has appeared as an expert on “Good Morning America” and “Extra” and has been quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY, Vogue, Allure, InStyle, and O. She has developed her own skin care product line called Therapeutix.

Eva C. Ritvo, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist, is vice chair and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, where she also has a unique joint appointment in the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery. She serves as the chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida. A published author, Eva has appeared as an expert on “Today” and “Extra;” has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Self, O, and Psychology Today; and is a frequent contributor to the Miami Herald, Miami Sun-Sentinel, and local news programs.