Eliana’s Story

New year is a peak time to have a ‘nose job’, explains Mr Charles East, a leading consultant surgeon with special expertise in treating the nose, and the President Elect of Rhinoplasty Society of Europe.

Here one woman he has treated explains how her rhinoplasty has boosted her self-worth and “changed her life” allowing her to transition to university with confidence.

“I’ve always had a very prominent nose, and the bridge had a bump”, says Eliana, 18 from London. “I am Greek, and would describe it as a Greek nose. I was 15 when I first started to feel self-conscious about it. I was always hiding my face so I never wore my hair up.”

“There’s a character from a film called Despicable Me called Gru, who has a big, hooked nose. My friends nicknamed me Gru after him. I knew it was a joke, but inside I really felt self-conscious. I laughed it off, but it made me feel so bad.”

“I wouldn’t go out with my friends a lot of times, because I just didn’t feel right. I would get ready, wear something nice but I just felt a bit manly. All my friends looked perfect, and I was just there. That’s how I felt. When my friends were taking pictures, I would never show my side profile. And if there was a boy I liked, I would never sit next to him, so he wouldn’t be able to see my nose from the side. I thought nobody would want to date me because I had this big thing on my face. I felt like it would put people off. It would always be top of my mind: how to sit, how to pose. I would never take pictures, because I felt like the camera distorted me. I would spend every single day editing photos of myself to see what my nose would look like if it was smaller. My nose took up some many of my thoughts.”

Eliana first started to think about having a rhinoplasty last year.

“My friend had a nose job performed by Rhinoplasty London, and recommended them to me. My mother and I checked them out together. My parents understood why I wanted a treatment, because they knew how bad I felt about my nose. It turns out choosing Rhinoplasty London was the best choice I ever made. I met with the surgeon, Charles East, and came with a couple of edited pictures of my nose that I created myself. He was honest with me, and said that they wouldn’t suit my face. He took some pictures and showed me a couple of other options that would fit with my face better. I chose one that wouldn’t look too different, and honoured my original nose. The projected end result picture was very, very accurate to my nose now in real life. So I’m very happy.”

“New year and June are the peak times for treatments”, explains Eliana’s doctor Charles East, “18 year olds who come to us in the summer before university is a common demographic for treatment as they transition into the next phase of their lives, as it presents a chance for them to reinvent themselves and to be the confident person they have always wanted to be. However, it is very important to explore the patient’s emotional and psychological motivations and set realistic expectations. We use specialist software which allows us to demonstrate a range of projected treatment outcomes to help with this discussion.”

“It is also very important to undertake a proper facial analysis. We all have different proportions, and the skill is to create a nose that looks absolutely natural on your face. That involves a wide range of different techniques and understandings of different ethnicities.”

Eliana shares ways her life has changed after her rhinoplasty.

“I feel like I’m glowing. It’s a whole new world. It’s really boosted my confidence, which is great as I’m meeting lots of new people at university. I now take photos in public. I can sit next to people and not only think about how my nose looks from the side. I like putting my hair up into slicked back ponytails, and I feel more feminine. This was the best decision I could ever have made.”