When 52-year-old Gail Alba first met Dr. Allen Rosen, she knew she was looking for a change.

"I was very dissatisfied with my whole self," Alba said. "I wanted a whole life change."

Dr. Rosen asked her to prioritize her concerns. Then he recommended safely combining certain procedures.

First an eyelift with a facelift, the next year a tummy tuck and breast lift, later other body contouring.

"We were able to take her over a three-year period of time to the place she wanted to be," Rosen said.

But today's patients often have unrealistic expectations.

Dr. Rosen and Dr. Valerie Ablaza wrote a book to debunk current myths about cosmetic procedures.

"They think it's just an easy snap of your fingers. That's how sometimes it's portrayed on TV that they're ready for a walk down the red carpet in a week after having five different things done, and we're here to tell it like it really is, what the reality is,' Ablaza said.

The truth is, real surgery has real risks.

"I talk about it like we do extreme sports, which is very dangerous," Rosen said. "Extreme surgery is ridiculous. I think that anything that's extreme by definition means you're overdoing it."

But balance and moderation can be a beautiful thing.

"Make them the best version of themselves and people come out looking refreshed, relaxed and, and even younger, but not necessarily a different person, unrecognizable to their family and friends," Ablaza said.

With subtle surgeries and healthy lifestyle changes, Gail transformed her looks and a whole lot more.