Women who become upset when examined with a nasal speculum, Dr. Ellis says, may equate the examination with genital mutilation.

REACTIONS

Reactions to a new nose can vary widely. Dr. David Ellis says he is often astounded by the changes in his patients after their first nose job. “Say a girl in her late teens comes in, with an awful nose she got from her dad; her hair may be messy, she’s looking down at the ground. Two weeks after the surgery she’ll come back with her head up and chest out, her hair in a new cut, stylish clothing. It’s a metamorphosis of personality.”

It happens less with men, says Dr. Ellis, “unless they have a real zonker of a nose.” Still, he relates one story of man whose wife was convinced that his “bugle of a nose” left him with low self-confidence. Both the husband and Dr. Ellis were eventually convinced that the nose was the root of his problems, and the operation to reduce its size was a success. A few years later, Dr. Ellis discovered the man had gained so much self-confidence, he’d left his wife and taken up with a new woman.

AVOIDING WRONG REACTIONS

Not everyone will have these kinds of strong reactions, of course; some may only endure depression for a few days following surgery, due to their bruised appearance, a strange smile or the fact that they have to avoid kissing for at least a week. Additionally, revisional surgery patients are notoriously difficult to please; dissatisfaction can run as high as 30 percent.

Dr. Ellis is adamant that “Plastic surgery will change your nose, nothing else. It won’t change your psyche, your emotions.” He asks all his potential clients the same question: What do you expect to gain out of this operation?

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