What are the motifs in Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen?

Cosmetic surgery as vanity or necessity is a recurring idea in this book. The mainstay of the economics of the plastic surgery profession is the unrelenting demand for people to have their appearances changed by cosmetic surgical procedures. As Rudy Graveline remarks, wintertime in Florida is the prime time for such activity. The demand for cosmetic surgery is so great that The Whispering Palms clinic runs four operating theaters and a staff of eight associate surgeons. Regardless of the malpractices of such as Dr. Graveline, there still appears to be an enormous demand for self-improvement by physical modification, irrespective of the unrealistic expectations. For Graveline's patients there is no consideration for any change of lifestyle to affect a change in appearance of facial or physical attributes. One can understand why a facial modification might be appropriate for cosmetic surgery but liposuction, surely, can be replaced by healthy exercise and lifestyle.