The Non Surgical Nose Job

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Rhinoplasty surgery is one way of achieving a new nose but more frequently now with the advancement of facial injectibles we can transform subtly the look of an imperfect nose or small bumps an indentations using a “No-Knife Way”.

“Younger You” Magazine contributor JESSICA MacDONALD, 41, shares her journey here to the perfect nose, sans scalpel with myself recently:

“My issues and insecurities about my nose began when I was 16. I was sitting in the school library during a study period, when a school friend, let’s call him Michael Skinton, came straight out and told me he thought I had the biggest nose in the school. He even went so far as to say that people had entire conversations about the size of my nose.

From that moment on, I had a complete complex. I would no longer allow my picture to be taken on profile, and I always made sure my head was slightly tilted upwards in pictures to ensure that the large knob-like tip of my nose was hardly able to be seen in pictures.

Truth be told, there was really nothing wrong with my nose. Sure it had a slight bump and did point downwards, but all in all, it was a pretty normal, elegant nose. It didn’t stop my insecurity blowing up into a full scale obsession however, and by the time I was 23, I was desperately seeking surgery.

As soon as I had the cash, I booked in with the first plastic surgeon I could find to give me rhinoplasty – $5000 and a couple of huge bruises later, I was the proud owner of a cute-as-a-button, ski jump nose that suited my little face perfectly and made my eyes seem wider and brighter. I was in Seventh Heaven, and the happiest 23-year old on the block.

As the years went by, I actually received more and more compliments on my nose. How perfect it was, how neat it was, how lucky I was to have such a perfectly formed nose. The trouble was that I couldn’t breathe properly through it. It seems that while my surgeon had done a wonderful aesthetic job, my nose didn’t function well at all, particularly when I was asleep, snoring like a drunken sailor and waking myself up at least 12 times each night.

After one particularly callous love parted ways with me due to his interrupted sleeping patterns, I decided to take action, and visited Ear, Nose and Throat and Cosmetic Surgeon Dr William Mooney from Bondi Junction in Sydney, who had come highly recommended to me by several of his peers, as well as his previous patients. His first words to me were, “you have such a 90s nose!”

It seemed in the 1990s, almost everyone who had rhinoplasty had received the same shaped nose that I had. It worked well back then – I was 23, of course it would look great. But, in 2008, no matter how perfect or neat it might be, it actually no longer suited my face. My face had aged, changed shape slightly to become wider and slightly less angular and the nose that I had was quite simply far too small and fine. It seemed to age me more than my 38 years.

As Dr Mooney explained to me about how he would fix the problems that were hindering my breathing and causing disruptive sleep apneoa, he also revealed the new simple and highly effective procedures that could make my nose look less “cutesy” and more refined and elegant. Minimal pain, zero downtime, very little expense …

I was sold and booked in for a few months down the track. the new technique involves simply injecting either a temporary filler like Juvederm, or a longer lasting filler like Aquamid, into the nose to build its shape and form, and sculpt a beautifully refined, elegant profile.

My first appointment was really a pre-consult, where he injected my nose with a saline solution to widen the bridge and the space between my brows, and also to build up the arch of the ski slope to make it straighter and more of a defined line.

I was completely blown away by the immediacy of the difference. I looked instantly more in proportion. My features seemed younger and more refined, my face appeared thinner and altogether more sophisticated. It only lasted for an hour or two, and I was to return the following week for the proper procedure.

I wanted to have the Aquamid, but Dr Mooney explained that this is a longer lasting filler (up to 10 years) and if I wasn’t happy with the results, it had to be surgically removed. So instead, we used Juvederm, which is injected quickly and painlessly, as it has a built in topical anaesthetic, and it will last up to 18 months.

Best of all, if I was unhappy with the results, he could inject a harmless substance called Hylase, which dissolves the filler and takes the nose back to its original shape. Dr Mooney also explained that by using Juvederm over Aquamid, it would give me the luxury of time to absolutely decide if this was the shape and size I wanted, and after that stage we could proceed with a more permanent option.

The second appointment took less than half an hour. A few injections and my nose was the nose I had always wanted. It was straight, a beautifully healthy size, refined and not too thin or small for my face. For a lunchtime procedure, with immediate satisfaction, I would have to say this is one of the best I have ever encountered. I have never experienced more satisfaction in such a short space of time.”