Primary Rhinoplasty

Left, before; right, 10 weeks post-op. I wanted the small hump removed and the tip reduced in size.

I had been self-conscious about my nose on and off since high school. It was not outright horrible or even very bad by most people's standards, so although I disliked certain aspects of it, I was nervous about the possibility of making it worse. As a result I considered rhinoplasty for almost a decade before finally deciding to go through with it at 35. Although I still have some swelling and my results can't yet be considered "final," I got the subtle changes I wanted, which has increased my confidence, and my nose functions as well as or better than before.

Although many people say afterwards that they wish they had done in sooner, I'm actually glad in hindsight that I waited this long to have rhinoplasty, for a few reasons:

(1) I'm far enough along in my career that I was able to afford it without feeling guilty: Although I say the procedure was "worth it," it would not have been going into debt for. Cosmetic surgery is a luxury and there are more important things to take care of first, like paying off student loans, etc.
(2) I was old enough that I had come to accept my old nose and myself as a whole: Although I didn't love my nose as it was, I could have lived with it the rest of my life without a problem. I was able to think of the surgery as a nice-to-have and not a must-have, and was not under the mistaken impression that it would change my life drastically.
(3) I didn't rush into surgery and took my time choosing the right doctor: I think that if I had pursued rhinoplasty earlier in life, I would have been less diligent about choosing a doctor. Choice of surgeon is absolutely critical and I'm glad I did a lot of research over a number of years before deciding.

I will follow up with some before and after photos. It's a little embarrassing to do so, but the photos shared by others were extremely helpful to me in my own decision process.