I'm 24 now - I finally did it! - Stanford, CA

I'm 24 now, but ever since I was 6 years old and I first saw my side profile in a mirror I have hated the way my nose looks. I think about it whenever I meet someone new - I’m thinking that all they see is a giant talking nose, which I know is ridiculous. I know it sounds totally obsessive, self-indulgent and vain, but it does and always has kept me from being happy. Ever since I can remember I have always had low self esteem and self confidence, and the majority of that is tied up with my perception of myself. I wear glasses at work mainly so that it kind of hides my nose and I purposely put myself on a certain side in photos to try and minimize its prominence. On those rare occasions when I walk into a fitting room with a three sided mirror or see a photo of myself in profile I can’t actually believe that I really look like that and people still associate with me. I know that sounds stupid but it’s true. I’m not kidding myself into thinking that changing this one thing will solve all my problems, but it WILL bring me so much more confidence. I am not going to ever become one of those people who’s obsessed with plastic surgery – I just want to change this one thing and then stop.

I also have a pretty deviated septum, which means I can only usually breathe out of one nostril, or sometimes shallowly out of both. The way it was explained to me was that the cartilage in between your nostrils (your septum) is very flexible and it moves slightly throughout the day, blocking alternate sides of my nose. So this is something I want to do for health as well as aesthetic reasons.

I'm tired of facing people straight-on when I talk to them, even if they're sitting beside me. I'm tired of untagging myself from photos on facebook because I hate how my nose looks. I'm tired of only being able to breathe out of one nostril! I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin. The way I see it, I only have one life, and I want to enjoy it without holding back from minor insecurites. Yes it's quite a bit of money to pay for, but in return I'll get long-term confidence.

I finally now have the time and means to make this happen, so I've decided to go for it. I went to one consultation - with Dr. Most - and that was me decided. My surgery date is scheduled for a few weeks from now and I'm pretty nervous! But at the same time it hasn't really hit me.

I was curious who people on here usually tell about this procedure. I've only told my parents, my boyfriend and my best friend. With some convincing, they are all very lovely and supportive. I feel very lucky to have them in my life! I'm just worried that when I come out of my hermit cocoon a few weeks after surgery that my other friends are going to be shocked and hurt that I didn't tell them what I was doing. Does anyone have any advice on this? Should I explain the truth ahead of time - that I am fixing a breathing issue that also allowed me to make my nose fit more with my face? I don't know who will notice, but I'm fairly certain that someone will, and word travels fast.

I'd also like to hear input on the morph Dr. Most did for me, and whether you think I should be more aggressive. Right now, I think it still looks like me and doesn't look overly "done" - I'd hate to have a "cookie cutter nose." It does look very straight, but if I asked for a curve I think it would stop looking like me. Also, my tip droops when I smile. He's going to pull back the skin above my lip (you can see it in my morph) so that it doesn't drag down the tip. Do you think I should still have the tip raised a tiny bit? AGH I don't know! haha. I'd appreciate advice :)

Thank you!

What do you think?