To begin my week of personal stories I am going to start with the tale that saw me create The Plastic Diaries beauty blog. Many of you probably wouldn’t realise that’s where this blog started and that the name “The Plastic Diaries” was chosen because I created the blog as a way to keep a diary of my experience with plastic surgery. I also think I may have been watching The Princess Diaries at the time and it seemed a cute play on a classic chick flick ….. hence, The Plastic Diaries.
A Nose Job …. Why?
When I started this blog, back in June 2008, I had only imagined it would be seen by a few close friends and family, if that. Like most bloggers, I started the blog for myself. I wanted to record a journey and have it on file so I could look back at it in the future. Unfortunately, my “blogging” skills back then weren’t very good so I don’t think I did a good job at explaining the back story. Hopefully I can do that better for you today.
I had always been a self-conscious child. I was chubby, I was short, I hated sport, I had big eyes and big cheeks. I was very dark skinned (woo, 1 win!) but I was NOT the cutest kid in my eyes and I grew to be a chubby pre-teen and teenager. My body was definitely something that annoyed me but it was not my biggest problem. In my eyes, my nose was hideous. I hated it. When I looked in a mirror or any glass with a strong enough reflection, I would just stare at my nose. I would spend hours staring in the mirror trying to work out how I could position my face in photos so that my nose didn’t look so ugly. I never quite worked it out so whenever I look back on photos before my rhinoplasty I just can’t help but look at that wonky thing in the middle of my face.
I have always believed that if you don’t like something, change it, and it was time to apply this to my nose.
Not a great photo but it highlights how wonky my nose really was.
Making The Decision
In 2006 I started to really voice my disapproval of my nose. I had just turned 20 and I didn’t want to be one of those woman who wait until they are submitted to Extreme Makeover before something is done. I had known since I could walk that my mother had been through a rhinoplasty procedure, and even though her doctor didn’t do a great job, she was supportive of my decision to take some action. It was then that I really made my decision to start researching rhinoplasty.
I am the sort of person who likes to know as much about something as possible. I will ask a million questions before ordering a meal I have never had before, so you can imagine the amount of questions I had about rhinoplasty. I started by Googling rhinoplasty (I know, I am a genius) and looking up as many reference sites as I could. I tried to find real stories of people who had actually had the surgery. I wanted a real life account of the process, not just a 2 sentence testimonial on how someone was glad they had the surgery. I looked up illustrations and diagrams of the procedure, and that helped me understand a lot. I was able to compile a list of my top 50 questions. Everything from how long the healing process would take through to when I could dye my hair again? To call me anal would be an understatement.
My handy question sheet
Then I moved on to looking up doctors who specialised in rhinoplasty, mostly using the ASPS and CPSA websites because I wanted someone who was completely accredited and trustworthy. I compiled an Excel document of the doctors I wanted to book a consult with. There were 16.
I love making spreadsheets
Picking The Doctor
Working through my hit list of plastic surgeons, I booked in consults and started meeting them one by one. It was a painful and expensive process (most consults on average cost $250 each). It is hard to explain what I didn’t like about most of them, especially now as my memory is terrible, but I knew from the minute I walked into Dr Jeremy Hunt‘s office that he would be the surgeon for me. It was mostly a gut reaction but his answers put me at ease, he took the time to go through all 50 questions with me, and he was happy to factor in all my little nuances. Another reason I liked him was that he had lots of before and after shots of people who only needed minor refinement, like I was hoping for. When you have looked through 16 before/after galleries and all you see is big hook noses turned into petite straight noses than of course you are going to think they are a good surgeon, but truthfully it is the ones who can do the tiniest of changes that I was impressed by.
During the consult Dr Hunt took a few snaps of my face and sent me on my way with some information to read up on. This was August 2006 and my decision was made. An official quote came through to me within a couple of days and from there I booked in my surgery for a couple months later. I had just started a new job at Australia’s biggest radio network and I was excited to announce my latest purchase.
Pre-Op Rhinoplasty photos from 2006
Pre-Op Rhinoplasty photos from 2006
The Delay and Opinions
For the life of me I cannot remember what exactly happened at this time but I had to postpone my surgery. The $10k I was going to spend on my nose needed to be used elsewhere and before I knew it almost 2 years had passed before I could finally lock in my surgery again.
During those 2 years I did not stop talking about this procedure I was eventually going to have, and it became clear that everyone had a different opinion on plastic surgery. The majority of people thought I was insane and was wasting an obscene amount of money on something that would have no actual effect on my life. BUT, a small percentage of people often whispered back that they thought I was brave for doing it and for being so public about it. These were people who also wanted to change something about themselves but felt the judgement by others wouldn’t be worth it.
By August 2008 I was living in Melbourne, away from my hometown of Sydney and away from the plastic surgeon I had decided on. I made the decision to take a few weeks off work, return to Sydney and have the surgery. I also made the decision that for myself and perhaps those people who mentioned to me that they too were interested in plastic surgery, I was going to document the process online. I also liked the idea that there may be others in the future who will do the research I painstakingly did and they will come across my blog to see a real persons account of plastic surgery, just like I had hoped to find (but never did!).
Pre-Op Rhinoplasty photos 18 August 2008
Pre-Op Rhinoplasty photos 18 August 2008
Pre-Op Rhinoplasty photos 18 August 2008
The Surgery
It eventually rolled around to August 2008 and I was on my way to Sydney for my first plastic surgery procedure. You can see some of my raw emotion in my bad writing by following the posts starting from here. To sum it all up, I was nervous as hell leading up to it. I didn’t sleep the night before and the morning of the surgery I was feeling so sick with nervous I looked drugged. In fact, I had to drug myself with a few Valium’s just to get me in the door of the hospital. I wanted to run!
My final mug shot taken at the hospital, 19 Aug 2008
I was extremely nervous right up until they rolled me into the operating room, but I took one breathe of the gas mask and I was out like a light. What felt like a split second later a nurse was yelling at me to wake up (I hate that part!) and all I remember was seeing mom snapping her camera in my face, which I had instructed her to do to many times before I went in.
Before getting rolled into the operating room.
After I had just come out of surgery.
A close up of my face post-op before I was even awake.
Everything was a piece of cake after that. I spent the night in hospital just to make sure I didn’t fall flat on my face the first chance I got, then I was home and on bed rest for two weeks. As you will see in the following photos, I had no bruising or swelling, I was up and wanting to visit friends within a couple of days and I had no pain thanks to the pain meds.
For me, some complications came in the form of a sore back/neck because you HAVE to sleep on your back (which I hate), the pain medication left me with a bad tummy for a while but that is normal, and I discovered I was allergic to Nose Spray after my throat swelled shut on the first spray. Minor complications and in the grand scheme of things they were hardly memorable.
Home after surgery, 20 August 2008.
Close-up of my nose stitches.
As bad as my bruising got, 25 August 2008.
Aftermarth
After the surgery I had to return to Dr Hunt a couple of times to have stitches removed and a final check over. It was in that final check up I found out about my Skin Cancer but that will be the next story!
Stitches out on 26 August 2008.
After the two weeks of heal time were over, I was able to fly again so I went back to my regular life in Melbourne with a nose I was very happy with. I stopped writing on The Plastic Diaries for over a year before I looked at it again … but that is a story for another time. What I did learn was that I made a great decision to have my nose done. It has now been a few years and yes, I would like to get a little bit of a touch up but that is more than normal for rhinoplasty patients.
Plastic Surgery is addictive and I know very well that if I had the money I would probably resemble Barbie by now. A girl can dream!
What do you think of my Rhinoplasty story? Did you know that was how The Plastic Diaries started? Let me know by commenting below!
My nose a year later in 2009.
Asking Dr Hunt more questions after stitches were removed.
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Wow!!! I have always wanted a nose job. I hate my nose but with my flat Asian nose, doing rhinoplasty in uk or Australia wouldn’t be ideal. I would have to do it in Asia but researching them is difficult as I can’t read a lot of Chinese. Gah. And then I read too many horror stories about plastic surgery and it puts me off….so reading your success story is great! Can’t wait for the next story. xxx
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I think there are lots of surgeons here who could do want you want but of course the surgery would be cheaper overseas so you have to way up what is more important. Personally I wouldn’t fly overseas for a procedure unless you have a health fund in that country. Surgery is a very serious thing and if something does go wrong you don’t want to be stranded.
I had no idea that was the inspiration behind the name of your blog! Would you ever consider having any more cosmetic procedures?
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Absolutely!! I would resemble Barbie if I had the money.
Stupid comment: my friend had her boobs done by Dr Hunt, and they look great.
Proper comment: this is a great story, and a great insight! If I could I would get breast augmentation – I’m just not happy with the way they sit – but I’m not unhappy enough with it to bother going through the surgery etc. I do, however, applaud anyone who wants to change their body via surgery. People eat well & exercise to lose weight, and we don’t judge them, so why judge someone for changing something they don’t like via surgery? Seems silly to me. x
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Well personally I love your opinion. I couldn’t agree more. If someone decides to exercise to change their body they get applauded and thrown a party, if you say your having surgery you get looked down upon. I won’t stand for that!
Thanks for the insight Kimmi. I had no idea how much rhinoplasty actually costs. I am really glad I read this post because I had never considered the part about making small changes, and whether a surgeon is capable of that. I think most girls think about surgery at one point or another and it makes a big difference when someone is detailed about the process which you are going to go through. Not in the same league or anything, but I felt the same when I signed my book deal. I didn’t know what the process was which is why I am starting a column on my blog outlining my journey. Kudos to you for sharing your experience, and not being worried about the taboo that comes with admitting cosmetic enhancement.
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Well I am very much hoping for a book deal one day so you can bet your bottom dollar I will be reading your column!
I agree that the sharing of experiences can put someone else at ease, and I like to think that is the entire premise of The Plastic Diaries. I do things to hopefully put others at ease and consider that a change, whether it be Red lipstick or a nose job, is scarier in our minds than it is in real life.
Thanks for sharing the story.
I hate my nose too, along with other facial features that have been teased. Thinking back my aunts and cousins were really cruel to a little girl! That that could have been one of the many reasons causing my lack of confidence. I thought about plastic surgeries in my 20s to do a million changes but chickened out because 1) I don’t have the money, 2) I have very low pain tolerance and 3) some horrible stories put me off. I still want to have something done but not as dramatic as I wanted them to be 10+ years ago. I just need to win lottery
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I must say that plastic surgery and cosmetic enhancement has come a long way in the past few years and minor changes can easily be done with the use of fillers and injectables. I also had a few skin lesions taken out so that added to the cost but generally most procedures aren’t as expensive as you would think. I think the $10k+ I paid was more than worth it and on a cost per wear basis my nose is practically free!
I think you were very brave to do this! I love that you chronicled the entire experience. If I were looking to do this, this is EXACTLY the sort of story I’d want to read.
YAY, I am so glad to hear. My original posts had a few more details on my emotions but they were so poorly written in my opinion. I wanted to sum up the experience and give people just one post for further reference.
Thanks for sharing your story Kimmi. It was a great insight into how you started your blog
I hated my nose growing up because it’s so big and flat. It was something I inherited from my dad; we have exactly the same kind of nose. Goodness knows how many times I’ve wanted to get it done.
Last year I told my dad I wanted to get a nose job because I couldn’t stand how big my nose was anymore. He was very quiet about it at first, and then said “it would break my heart if you changed that part of you that looks like me”. I never saw it that way.
I still don’t like my nose but every time I think I wanna get it fixed, I think of my dad and change my mind
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Awwww that is such a touching story, Tine. I definitely never would have thought of that but seeing as though both my parents had nose jobs I guess I would never have considered that. I think it is very sweet your dad sees it that way and at the end of the day, I think we all know enough beauty tricks to “modify” our nose if we want to. Contouring and highlighting can be a girls best friend.
i love this !! Thankyou
All i wanted to read was a personal perspective !!
I have a similar shape to your pre-surgery nose & like you alot of the before/afters i find are hardcore repair jobs or noses that are complete hook style, thankyou for showing these !! Arrgh i have been putting it off but i think next year will be the year i find out about it, seriously
Thankyou again…can’t wait for the rest of the week
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I am so glad you liked it Lauren. Making the decision to definitely go ahead with the surgery was difficult. I changed my mind so many times and to be honest, the views of others would sometimes get in my head, but I know I made the right decision and I know that my nose bothered me enough to affect how I lived my life. It doesn’t do that anymore and that is why it was worth it to me.
If you ever have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!
Congratulation! Actually i really appreciate that you share your experience and photos. And yours look natural which i also wanted for my nose surgery.
Thanks Anne, I definitely wanted a natural looking nose and something that would fit with my face. I have giant facial features so it would have looked ridiculous if I got a small, pixie nose.
More than anything I am so glad I wrote this post because it has reminded me how thankful I am for making the change.
I love your story! My mom also had a rhinoplasty and your photos brought back the memories lol Your new nose is perfection, but you were still gorgeous before!
If money weren’t an issue my lazy butt would absolutely be getting lipo, tummy tucks, rhino, boobs… it’s basically endless lol
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Haha thanks Brooke. Many people in my life said after my rhinoplasty that they were wrong for poo-pooing the idea. They agreed that it did make a difference, even if it was minor, and I loved proving them wrong. However, if I got my way and did turn myself into a Barbie I am pretty sure they would be laughing. Still, I want it all!
I love this. I don’t see why people are not more open about plastic surgery, I’m glad you are, if I could afford it I do would get my nose fixed, to most people it’s ‘fine’ but to me its wrecked from smashing ti on stairs as a 5 yr old.
Looking foward to reading more personal stories this week
Ahhhh yes, the old broken nose issue. If you have breathing difficulties resulting from the break it will be a lot cheaper. My surgery was completely aesthetic so it is more expensive than if you have an internal problem.
Thanks for sharing your story. This is better than any article I’ve read in magazines about nose jobs. And I like the outcome you got too.
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Thanks Kimberly! I think that is the nicest compliment someone could ever give me! I do love reading plastic surgery articles in magazines but I agree with you, they just don’t give enough detailed insight. I hope mine did that
Well done, and thank you. As much as people deny it and try and call it ‘trendy’ plastic surgery has still a huge stigma around it and because of that there is few ways that a regular person can get real, descriptive information about the topic. I feel like too many people brush you off as being vain and conceded if you arent happy the way you look. You were lucky to have you mum go through the same process. All mine does is say that you should be happy with what you’ve got because you are healthy but really why can’t we get what we want and then be truly happy about it. Did your mum say how the two experiences differed?
I totally hear you Paige and I think we as a society like to discount an older generations opinion as being from “another time” but honestly the opinions are still the same today. Most of the flack I coped from my friends and coworkers were people my own age, not the older generations. My goal with ThePlasticDiaries.com was to bring down all stigma associated with caring for your looks.
I had the realisation today that my looks are just one of the few things in my world I can control. That gives me comfort and if others want to call me “vain” than fine, that is their opinion but I know I am not conceded and I know none of you are.
My mother said my experience was worlds away from hers. Of course, there was about 20 years difference but mine was so quick and painless compared to hers. Having said that, I was a complete freak to have no bruising or swelling of any kind and it even shocked Dr Hunt.
Your experience is really inspire able for people who are still thinking for rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty can improve the facial appearance. You are looking great with this.
Thank-you!
Indeed, nose jobs can have a significant effect on patients. A complete change in people’s own self-perception. They frequently feel better about themselves.
I agree, it can change so much more than your external appearance.
I do believe all the ideas you’ve presented on your post. They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very brief for newbies. May just you please prolong them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.