My name is Chloe, I am 27 this year. I have never been a
confident girl, preferring to keep to myself. At parties, I am always at the
side, and never the one who will initiate conversation with others. Part of
this is just my personality, yet I know part of this is because I was never confident
with how I look.
When I was young, classmates called me “ four-eyed pig nose”:
I was short-sighted from 7 years old, and needed spectacles to read the words
on the blackboard. Later on, I decided to use contact lenses, so that solved
the 4 eyes part.
My nose is flat, wide and small, with big nostrils. Needless
to say, I have never liked my nose. Who would find a “pig nose” adorable? I
have never been confident with how I look as a result. I always think people
are staring at my pig nose when they see my face, so I always take care to look
downwards, to make my nostrils less obvious.
This is my journey: my transformation towards a new nose,
and a new me. You may wonder why a shy girl like me will want to share such a
personal experience, and tell everyone I had nose surgery: the reason is
because, I hope that through my experience, other girls who are have the same
problems as me can relate, and also understand what the process of going
through rhinoplasty is like.
The problems on my nose
My Rhinoplasty (Nose Surgery) Wish
I have been thinking about getting a nose job for the
longest time. The Korean before-after
pictures are simply amazing, and I think it will really change my life. I have tried non-invasive treatments: fillers
to make the nose bridge and tip higher. What you see in the picture above, is
actually already with Restylane Fillers, injected 6 months ago. I had the
injections 3 times, and they last about 6-9 months, but I really wanted a more
permanent solution, and a better one. With fillers, my nose is still flat, and
still not attractive.
To undergo plastic surgery is a very big step for me. I have
thought about it for a very long time, and delayed it over and over again, but
this time, I finally decided that if I want to make a difference in my life, I
need to take that step out of my comfort zone. After researching on the
internet, and asking my friends, I decided to go for a consultation with Dr Tan Ying Chien at
The Sloane Clinic Plastic Surgery Centre. What I really wanted to do is to
find out if a nose implant can help to make my nose better.
The Sloane
Clinic Plastic Surgery Centre
The Consultation
Dr Tan Ying Chien is an experienced plastic surgeon with a
lot of experience in face and body surgery. It was really easy to talk to him
because he understood my problems. He was understanding, patient, and took time
to explain to me what my options were.
Honestly, the consultation did not go according to what I
expected. I wanted to have a simple silicon nose implant, to make my nose
bridge and tip higher. However, Dr Tan pointed out that my flat nose is not the
only problem: my nose is in fact very short, and upturned. An implant will not
solve these problems. The wide base will also require more surgery to make
smaller. It threw me off slightly, because Dr Tan now gave me 2 options which I can consider.
My
consultation with Dr YC Tan threw some surprises over my way
My Nose Surgery Options
Option 1: Nose
Implant
My original plan was to have just a nose implant: Dr Tan
explained to me that this is an L-shaped
silicone device, which will help to make the nose bridge and tip higher. This
was the first option I can consider.
A Silicone nose implant gives the nose more height
A
nose implant is a great option for people who already have a relatively nice
nose, and just want it higher. Using Photoshop, I tried to get an idea of what
the results for me will be with a nose implant. I will have a higher nose, but
it will still look “pig-like”.
Photoshop image of what I might look like after a nose implant
Comparison with my original:
Option 2: Open
Nose Surgery, Cartilage Graft, and Alarplasty
This is where it begins to get interesting, but much more
complicated. Dr Tan pointed out to me that my nose is very short: something I
knew, but could never quite pinpoint. The short nose with upturned round nose
tip and wide nose base is what gives me my “pig nose”. These are problems which
a simple implant will not solve, because height is not the only problem here. The
whole architecture of my nose is in need of a make-over!
To solve my wide nose base, Dr Tan suggested a
procedure called Alarpasty: which will cut away some of the sides, and make
the nose narrower.
Alarplasty is the solution to make my nose narrower.
In order to lengthen my nose, Dr Tan suggests doing an open nose surgery, also known as the
Korean style surgery. This will push my columellar (the middle of the nose
perpendicular to the lip) downwards to make it look better. On top of this, an
implant is needed to give more height, with a cartilage graft. The cartilage is from my ear: this will allow my
nose tip to look more pointed, and even higher.
A cartilage graft is
what I need to get the nose tip of my dreams!
Finally, Dr Tan also pointed out that besides my nose, my
chin is another area which I can improve. Right now, it is too short and
recessed. A Chin implant will allow me to look much stronger and more
beautiful. I told him that for now, I will fix my nose first!
Dr Tan also suggested
a chin implant to make my face more proportionate but I will leave that for a
future time
Needless to say I was quite petrified when Dr Tan explained
this to me. The open nose surgery will have to be done under sedation, and take
3 times as long to do compared to a simple nose transplant. I took some time to
look at my photos again, and use photoshop to imagine what an open nose
surgery, implant, cartilage graft, and alarplasty will do for me, and this is
what I came up with:
I will definitely look much better, and more importantly, I
still look like myself, just a better version: the version I have always dreamed
of.
My decision
After Dr Tan’s detailed explanation, it was not too
difficult to come to a decision. Dr Tan wants the best for his patients, and it
was very obvious that he felt that Option 2 would be the much better choice for
me. I told him my decision, and made an appointment next week for my surgery.
The big day is 27 Jul 2015. I am so excited, but scared at the same time! Wish
me all the best… I will update my progress as it goes along.
My nose and chin, before and after
photoshop editing to show the possible effects of the surgery, side by
side. It is amazing to see what I can
possibly look like.
I will be documenting my journey in videos as well. Here’s the first part: on my consultation. Wish me luck!
Science of Pretty 