An ornate silver hand-mirror is the only tool Wendy Lewis requires for her peculiarly modern line of work. Visitors to her New York or London office are asked to gaze at their reflection and expound on what it is that ails them. A too prominent nose perhaps? Drooping eyelids? Or perhaps a pencil-thin mouth which they would prefer resembled Salvador Dal''s voluminous lip sofa. .
The quest for eternal youth has taken a perplexing turn. Suddenly there are myriad choices for those who seek to mitigate the ravaging effects of time, from glycolic acid-peels to fat transfers, Botox injections to laser resurfacing, browlifts to liposuction. But exploring the plastic-fantastic realm can be a stab in the dark, and with increasingly devastating results. .
A new professional has emerged to help patients make sensible choices: the cosmetic-surgery consultant. .
Wendy Lewis has been called "the Zagat guide to cosmetic surgery", yet she acts more like a Sherpa to this decidedly complex world, helping individuals locate Dr Right, arranging private nurses and post-surgery treatments and smoothing over any accompanying anxiety with her winning bedside manner. .
Unlike some consultants, Lewis is not affiliated with any doctors, nor does she receive fees for her referrals. She is an independent medical matchmaker who, for the past two years, has advised many women in England. .
Along with her website (www.wlbeauty.com) and beauty journal, WL Beauty Watch, Lewis is releasing a book this month pitched specifically at the UK market. .
The Lowdown on Facelifts and Other Wrinkle Remedies stitches together information on cutting-edge techniques with real-life case studies, insights from leading surgeons and, indeed, everything you wanted to know about "face rejuvenation" - as it's called in the biz - but were too afraid to ask. .
At the heart of the book is a recognition of the marked disparities between the New York and London sets.