Vanity changed the face of surgery

Re “About Face,” by Gina Piccalo, May 11: Before TV makeover shows, plastic surgery was “an honored science,” says a publicist to a Beverly Hills “cosmetic surgeon.” Humbug!

When did honored scientists use publicists?

The profession was once, indeed, honored when it repaired the results of burns, accidents and birth defects, but it stopped being so when it turned “esthetic” and “cosmetic,” serving vanity rather than compassion.

David Eggenschwiler

Los Angeles