“Worth It...New Nose in Hickory, NC”

I was always very confident with my looks, except for that one thing...my big nose! No one had ever told me my nose was big but I could look in the mirror and see it was so obvious. I always felt like it was that ONE thing that was holding me back. Like "She would be pretty BUT...she has a big nose". I always wanted a nose job and everyone told me I was crazy. They would say things like "Your nose isnt THAT big." or "But God made you this way you should accept the way you are." Ive heard it all before but whenever anyone would tag or take photos of me of my profile view I would either untag them or simply destroy them! I had the kind of nose where you really couldnt tell it from the front but when I turned to the side it was like "Oh yeah--Now I see what you mean."

When I told my husband I wanted a nose job he tried to talk me out of it. He said I was beautiful in his eyes and he didnt want me to change. But I wasnt doing it for him, I wanted it for me. Finally he said if it meant that much to me and it would make me feel better about myself he would back me 100%.

I felt really sick toying around with the idea of going through surgery. I had never been sick or had any surgerys before. What scared me the most was not being able to forsee what the finished product would look like. When you agree to have the surgery you are taking a huge gamble. How big of a gamble you are taking depends on how well you do your homework. I went to a surgeon who does facial plastic surgery only and at least 2-3 nose jobs a week. I consulted with 3 different surgeons before I felt comfortable.

I guess I took the plunge because I figured there was no way my nose could look any bigger than it already did. My dad said he thought I was being "very courageous".

Its been exactly 8 weeks since the surgery and I'm still getting used to my new nose. Its smaller and shaped differently now. The dreaded hump is gone! My bridge is actually wider than it was and that is taking some major getting used to. I went yesterday to have my after photos taken and he said there was still alot of swelling going on even at this point. I've read before a good Rhinoplasty is one that is "sleek and unobserved" and I feel that is what I got. When I had the bandages taken off I thought I would have a tiny, perfect new nose--radically different from the beak I was sporting. My new nose is not as tiny, or as "cute" as I had imagined it would be, but I do like it much more than my original nose. I had closed Rhinoplasty with no pain, just the ususal severe congestion you hear about.

All in all, It still looks like MY nose just a smaller, more refined version of it. Did I want a completly different nose? Maybe. Maybe not. I still dont really know what to think but I do know it is what it is. I also thought my friends would be gushing over it, telling me how great I finally looked, but everyone pretty much kept quiet. Some people didnt even know I had anything done! I was a little let down, being that I was so emotionally invested in it. Alright already I'll finish this novel...just thought I would be frank about my experience.