Too many topics covered, but suitable for industry professionals.
Skin Deep starts well, with a preface of a beauty routine, and how your skin can affect the way you are perceived by society, as well as how you feel about yourself. Chapter One scientifically defines skin—a necessary but not overly exciting part of the text. In Chapter Two is the history of dermatology, listing various skin diseases and who first discovered them.
As the blurb of the book is about “beauty, ageing, health, illness, tanning and touch” where science meets art, culture, history, politics and philosophy, in many ways it sells itself as a sociological analysis of skin. However, in Chapters Three and Four, although McGuiness references the links between genetics, skin colour, and assumed race, it is mainly historical or case-based information rather than much sociological analysis. Chapters Five, Six, and Seven cover skin cancers, diseases, and skin afflictions, then note the industries in which if your skins changes (your appearance), it can define the remainder of your career or impact your identity. Yet just as in previous chapters, a large part of it fell short of being analytical.
The author covers numerous themes in a total of 12 chapters, making it difficult to pinpoint for just whom this book has been written. If you are in the industry, such a condensed and well-researched lot of information will be both enjoyable and useful for you. Yet from a general audience point of view—which the book espouses to be for—large parts of this text fail to hit the spot. It would have been more palatable with vast portions of the text edited out. Overall, it feels like a crash course of an intense university degree, with some boring electives you are forced to cover.
Perhaps large chunks of the information in this book would be useful if you suffer from a skin condition. McGuinness’s research is comprehensive, so being made aware of multiple treatments or types of dermatological conditions could set you on a path to finding a solution. After all, who hasn’t been or doesn’t know someone who has been misdiagnosed by a medical practitioner? Read Skin Deep to learn more about the science behind your skin and possible cures for any ailments.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: March 2022
RRP: $34.99
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