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‘First I need a picture. Hold still a moment and don’t smile...’ She pointed the camera at the top of the screen at him, and he stared solemnly at it.
‘Then I can smooth out any imperfections.’ Anna peered at the screen, frowning. She couldn’t see anything that she’d want to change about Jamie’s face.
‘Like the little scar, there?’ He pointed to a tiny mark on his forehead.
‘Oh, yes. I didn’t even see that.’ She punched keys, and the scar obligingly disappeared.
‘Hmm. I’m not sure that I can tell the difference.’ Jamie stared at the screen and Anna smiled.
‘I think that’s an important point. Everyone has their own idea of what they don’t like about themselves, and they assume that everyone else notices those same things. That’s not always the case. Plastic surgery can be an objective choice when function is impaired, but in cases where someone simply wants to remove a disfigurement, it’s subjective.’
Jamie nodded. ‘Yeah. So, in terms of surgery, I’ve a reasonable idea of what’s possible. But what guidelines do you find most useful in advising people?’
‘Obviously if it’s a matter of restoring the function of a particular part of the body, then it’s exactly the same medical considerations you’d use. But cosmetic remodelling is entirely about how the patient feels. Jon’s an obvious example.’
‘The scars on his face are hardly noticeable now.’
‘Yes, exactly. The tissue viability nurse has worked with him to make the skin more comfortable, and he has a very different attitude to them now than when he first came here. Maybe he’ll be back to have some work done on them, and maybe not. As long as it’s his decision, either choice is okay.’
‘I suppose being twins makes a difference.’ Jamie leaned back in his seat. ‘I’ve been thinking a bit about how we identify with each other even now.’
Anna nodded. ‘Yeah. How you see yourselves as either the same or different is important in a lot of ways.’ Jon and Jamie’s relationship was changing. They were working things out and there was no longer the push and pull between them that had made their reunion so difficult.
‘So, show me a bit more about how the software works.’ Jamie leaned forward, studying the screen.
‘I’ll show you something that I do when I take workshops. I’ll take your face as an example.’
‘Sure you want to do that?’ Jamie grinned at her. He was entirely unaware of his own beauty.
‘Well, I’ll give it a go. I don’t do this with patients, it’s just a fun exercise. First of all I can take one half of your face and mirror it.’ Jamie watched as she manipulated the image, raising his eyebrows when Anna frowned.
‘What? I can’t see any difference.’
‘Neither can I. Let me try the other side...’ She quickly made a third image, putting it next to the first two on the screen and scanning them. ‘Well, it’s official, Jamie.’
‘What’s official? What have you done?’ A trace of panic showed in his beautiful eyes.
‘You have a perfectly symmetrical face!’
‘Is that good?’ Jamie had clearly never given his looks much thought.
‘It’s surprisingly uncommon. Let’s try something else. During the Renaissance, painters worked out something called “The Golden Ratio”, which mapped out the proportions of a perfect face. Obviously our definition of beauty has changed over time, and there are variations according to different ethnic groups.’ This was getting interesting.
‘Okay. Do your worst.’
There wasn’t a worst to do. Anna was usually able to predict how the results of these simple photo manipulations would turn out, but with Jamie she couldn’t. She wondered if maybe subconsciously she’d known...
‘Well, that’s just outrageous! Did you know that you have a perfectly proportioned face?’
He grinned. ‘You make it sound like an accusation. And, no, I had no idea.’
‘It’s really unusual. Mine’s way off, I’ll show you...’
She reached for the mouse but he pulled it away from her, his expression suddenly serious. ‘Your face is perfect. I don’t need anything to tell me that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’
Anna could see in his eyes that he meant it. The temperature in the room seemed to rise suddenly, and playing with pictures of their faces became irrelevant.
‘I...guess that’s my point. It’s impossible to define beauty.’ Jamie’s was way beyond definition.
