My Perspective - Toronto, ON

I've never been the type of person to experiment with plastic surgery as I was happy with the way I looked and had my way with life. Prom king, captain of a team, successful career, loving parents, cute girlfriend, and so on... Life was good to me and I had a lot to be thankful for, however at the time I wasn't really appreciating my situation. After an altercation in a night club and an injury to my nose via a Labatt Blue beer bottle, my cartilage didn't heal correctly and I was stuck with a damaged face, and a drastic (to me it was anyway) change to my appearance. It wasn't anything gruesome and people generally couldn't tell it was an injury after a while but my nose was flattened, appeared much wider and grabbed the attention off of my face. I went on with life and didn't think too much of it (initially), however things became increasingly more difficult in the following three years. I began noticing changes in my mood. Good days were fewer and farther in between, the new clothes I had bought didn't really make me feel good anymore and more so that the spark or confidence that pours through a happy person's eyes was gone. I could see that this change in me greatly affected my parents as they tried everything to help me move past it, but couldn't and I felt responsible for their sadness. I started visiting them and pretending I was happy so they could be. I made an honest attempt to "be a man" (so to speak) , ignore it and live life, however when I looked in the mirror everyday to get ready for work or saw a picture on Facebook that I was tagged in, I'd immediately focus in on my injury and it would eat away at me slowly changing my personality. Forgetting something that's smack dab in the middle of my face was a losing battle. People no longer gravitated towards me and I didn't blame them, negative energy... For those 3 years, I rarely went out, and when I did, I drank enough to forget my own name. I took up online gaming as another form of escape and convinced myself that over time I'd be back to normal. I would work out almost everyday to release endorphins and keep my spirit up in order to block out negative thoughts. When it came to women, I felt like I was invisible and this was new to me. The things I got away with at work normally, now pinned me to the wall. My flirting got me out of nothing and I was introduced to a different world lol. The superficial side of it all. Now to be clear, I didn't manipulate/flirt intentionally, it was the way I grew up and didn't really realize what I did or how easy things came to me until the injury which allowed me to experience how mean people can be when you aren't as attractive (eye opener for what happens when you age...power fades and all that's left is your character, so be a good person). I had a few girlfriends during this time, however I would hide this from all of them and was the "mysterious guy" that they wanted to figure out (because I didn't want to show them the sh*t storm going on inside my head) . Prior to this experience I was confident regardless of who thought I was attractive. Anyone could walk up to me and try to tear me down by way of verbal abuse and I would laugh because it didn't matter to me. After the injury, I relied on the opinions of what others said to inflate or deflate my happiness & confidence (which isn't really confidence at all). That was the real problem. I think I was entering relationships as a temporary fix to make myself feel wanted because I no longer felt confident with myself. I then thought that it would be better to be fully content or fully happy alone before entering a relationship to be fair and not let that burden fall on a woman that decides to share her time with me. I eventually opened up to an old girlfriend and she researched plastic surgeons for months without my knowledge. She presented me with all of her research and pushed me to risk it and take the jump. Without her, I wouldn't have met Dr.Torgerson and made the necessary changes to allow me to enjoy life as I previously did.

In order to compare, we had visited two other surgeons (who turned me off of the elective surgery idea... I went home and marinated for a bit until I was ready for another consultation). I then met Dr. Torgerson in 2010. At that time, I was one of his first patients as his practice was taking off. As this was also my first elective surgery and is something I had never imagined getting into, I placed most of the weight of my decision on my judgment of his character (well...in combination with the before and after gallery which I reviewed prior to the consultation, but that's something everyone does). He took the time and listened to me and joked a bit which made it easier to talk about looks and what happened to me. Talking to a complete stranger about this stuff was an uncomfortable thing to do to say the least, it makes you look/feel like a sissy, but it is what it is... Dr. Torgerson provided a service and I needed it. After the consultation was over, I realized it wasn't really a big deal and I felt like we had agreed on a plan together and for the first time in three years, I had hope. He managed to change my mind about what to do with my nose stating what is and isn't possible by explaining where he was coming from, how the surgery worked and so on (rather than just saying no). I'm analytical, stubborn and rarely change my mind but this approach worked with me. I asked several questions which I had written down on a piece of paper and he did a good job hiding the fact that I was annoying (although I did pick up on it lol). But hey, it's my face and this whole plastic surgery concept scared the sh*t out of me. All in all, I left Yorkville feeling good.

Fast forward to one or two weeks (can't remember exactly) after my surgery... My cast comes off, I look in the mirror and can tell you that I looked more or less like a cartoon character. I was extremely swollen and looked quite a bit different than I had expected. It was a lot to take in and I didn't know how to feel about it...mixed emotions, however I had comfort in that fact that I was still swollen and things could/should only get better moving forward or at least that's what I was hoping. As the weeks passed and the swelling subsided, something strange started happening. I started receiving comments at work about looking like I lost weight (when in fact I gained 6 pounds since I didn't move around much during my recovery). When your nose isn't punched in anymore and doesn't swallow your face, I guess one looks thinner. People started calling me handsome at work & frequently. Younger and older women employees started laughing at things that I said when I wasn't even being funny (this I remember vividly). I also started getting away with everything again and to top it off, I've been promoted twice while doing less work. This is how life works, looks matter and perception is everything (not my opinion, it's true). I had to find this out the hard way ... life is not fair to everyone and this experience has made me soft for sure. I try to be as nice as possible to people since you never know what someone is going through and also I think I now have a bigger heart for those who get picked on. I've been given a second chance, along with a hard lesson which resulted in a better person (at least I hope). I went out and purchased new clothes and combinations and began having fun again. For the following 6 years I would live a Dan Bilzerian type lifestyle (minus the disrespecting women part). I only wish I had started documenting my travels earlier. I've locked lips with a Victoria's Secret employee in Miami and am currently dating a model in Europe that comes across the world to live with me. I'm a regular guy with a middle class salary and lately have been living a life that I do not feel I deserve. If I lost everything that I currently have, I'd still be happy though (no, not kidding). All I really wanted was to look in the mirror, and like myself again. When I decided to have surgery, my goal wasn't to make myself the most attractive person in the world or to get lots of women or even to progress my career. I was determined to get my personality back by erasing a bad memory. When I finally put this nightmare behind me, the real me started showing again and I think that is the reason these good things keep happening to me. It's more or less peace of mind that Dr.Torgerson gave me. I'm not thinking about my nose or spending extra time in the mirror doing up my hair and constantly playing with it because I'm dissatisfied with my appearance. I get up and go ...and hardly think about it or spend more than a minute in the mirror anymore. Im enjoying the simple things like walking around in the sun lol or sitting in my car sipping on a double double from Timmies reminiscing about where I was before compared to right now. I'm very grateful. I pay more attention to what I currently have in life rather than what I want to have and it's keeping me happy. With results like this I could care less if Dr. Torgerson was late, rude, or any other negative adjective (even though he is none of those things... ok maybe a little late but so was I, so we're even) ... What good is a comforting doctor that doesn't deliver what he promises? I got what I paid for. In the end, that's all that mattered to me. He's a good guy and over these past few years as my life unfolded and good things started happening, I'd shoot Dr. Togerson a "You the man!" text message because he's a person too and deserves to hear it. Dealing with a ton of emotional people is taxing . I currently have 50 employees and listening to them and how this earth revolves around each one of them makes me want to punch myself in the face all over again... however I nod and smile and give them my time because I know now that people (as was I) aren't empathetic to another person's stresses and life unless they themselves have personally walked through it. Reading my post and thinking that you understand and actually experiencing it are two completely different things which are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

As far as people noticing my surgery... 1 person has asked me if I had had nose surgery in the past 6 years (maybe more have noticed, who knows.... but 1 person actually had the courage to ask). That same person also had elective surgery done from another doctor. I could notice it on her as well. What's funny is that my extended family or friends didn't notice my surgery. The guys I played on sports teams with would eat me alive if they knew. I think people who have had elective surgery can notice it on other people who have had it (or people who work in the industry). I figure It's because you spend so much time focusing on a body part you want to change that you thoroughly study it's shapes and dimensions. This surgery has been the most important & best decision I've made thus far in my life and it has taken a huge weight off of my shoulders. Thanks Cory and I'm sorry that I took so long to write anything lol. I hope this brings you some job satisfaction and gives you at least a fraction of the happiness you have provided me. When I walk by Yorkville, I feel happy as it marks the day my life shifted for the better. You have changed my life. All you best to you, Nadine, the kids, and your staff.