In 2017, when I was 19, I got a rhinoplasty, better known as a nose job. I had the procedure done at Bitner Facial Plastic Surgery in Layton, Utah (s/o to Dr. Bitner). It has been 3 years since the procedure and I haven’t had a single regret. I am also obviously very open about the fact that I got a nose job, telling anyone who cares to listen about it. It changed my confidence completely, and I haven’t looked back since.
I would like to start off by saying that there is NO SUCH THING AS AN UGLY NOSE. Please don’t take this article to mean that you have an ugly nose and you should get it fixed. I am not saying that. You are beautiful the way you are, and if you’re happy with your face you shouldn’t change it. I personally chose to get a nose job because I spent years because I hated my nose for years. I always knew that one day I would get a nose job and that it would make me happier. You shouldn’t go through any type of cosmetic surgery unless you are 100% sure it would make you happier.
Now that we got that out of the way, let me tell you my experience. I used to have a glorious big nose. It was crooked, hooked, and large. I absolutely hated it from the time I was eight years old. It didn’t help that I would get bullied for it by people saying that “my nose took up the entire hallway at school” (if you’re reading this, Evan, I never forgot). It’s one thing when you notice something about yourself that you don’t like, but it’s a whole different monster when someone else not only notices the same, but also points it out. I didn’t understand why I didn’t have a cute little nose like all the white people in my class. I became extremely self-conscious, and my self-esteem plummeted. I always thought that I would be completely happy with myself the minute I got a nose job (spoiler alert: it didn’t exactly work like that).
When it came to getting a nose job, I was really lucky to have an incredibly supportive family. They never said no to my wants when they easily could have. I’m Iranian, so it’s a lot less taboo to get a nose job. Seriously, like half of my family has gotten a nose job, so believe me, it’s common there. Luckily, my family helped me look around for a good surgeon to get the procedure done. We also saved up money for the inevitably costly procedure. I truly couldn’t have gotten this done without my parents help. With their help, we found a highly-rated surgeon and set an appointment.
The surgery was super easy, and I had minimal pain afterwards. Even throughout the healing process, it didn’t hurt much. I had to keep my bandages on for a week, and on top of that I had two black eyes so I was quite the sight to behold. After the week was over, I went to get my bandages off. I’m not going to lie, getting the stitches off was super painful, but it was quick. After he took everything off, he gave me a mirror to look at myself and I was speechless. My huge nose was turned into the cutest little nose. He assured me that my nose was super swollen from the procedure but the swelling would go down and it would look even better. It didn’t matter to me — I was so happy. I finally had the cute, little nose that I always wanted. On top of all that, it looked so natural. I felt like this was always meant to be my nose, and that it perfectly fit me. I was that happy.
Whereas before I would try to enter a room so that my profile wouldn’t show, I would now confidently walk into any room without thinking twice. It felt like a huge weight was off my shoulders, and I have felt so much better. I understand that this isn’t the case for everyone, but for me, getting a nose job was the best thing I could have done. I associated my low self-esteem with my big nose, so “fixing” that problem would take away the barrier that was keeping me from being happy. This turned out to not be completely true. Just because I got a nose job, doesn’t mean I’m not still self-conscious. I still have a pretty low self-esteem and the nose job didn’t just magically fix all of my problems. There are still things I hate about myself, but at least my nose isn’t one of them. To those of you who are seriously considering getting a nose job, and are thinking about doing it, I would tell you to go for it! I love my nose job, and I would never take it back. To those who have had a nose job, embrace it! I have refused to feel bad about getting this procedure done, and I am very open about it. Screw the haters who judge you.
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