The NYT reports on the dark side of plastic surgery:
The film, directed and produced by David Heilbroner and Kate Davis, who won an Emmy Award for her 2004 HBO documentary "Jockey," positions itself as the antidote to television shows like "Extreme Makeover" and "The Swan." Those reality programs, both now defunct, promoted plastic surgeons as fairy godmothers, transforming patients (after hours on the operating table and months of recovery time) from frumpy Cinderellas to plasticized clones of Pamela Anderson. "Plastic Disasters" takes the opposite point of view, that plastic surgery is not a welcome boost to self-esteem. The show posits cosmetic surgery as an agent of total ruination, leaving its victims scarred, both physically and emotionally. The documentary is gruesomely compelling, complete with shots of gore and gangrene. It focuses on three patients who have had bad experiences: Mona, who had a botched liposuction; Tony, who undergoes a series of operations to correct a faulty nose job; and Lucille, who, after a nose job and two face lifts, is obsessed with her appearance.