A prominent nose, non symmetrical nose makes people start defining you by that single feature on your face. It becomes your identity overshadowing the ‘real’ you, making you the ‘odd nosed teen’ because, that is exactly when your true features take shape, adding to the growing-up blues. A perfectly normal, tiny nose can grow into a bulbous mass sitting on a lovely face, becoming the cause of drained self confidence.

Some noses, thanks to hereditary become hooked, or develop humps, grow off centre among other things. Obviously this is not a happy place to be. Nose problems can, however, be corrected through rhinoplasty, the most challenging of all cosmetic surgery procedures.

“There is no need to damage another part of the body for this purpose,” says Dr. Karthik, leading Face and Body Surgeon. He is the founder of the highly popular Chennai Plastic Surgery. “Nose surgery is very fine surgery. It is important that the surgeon takes great care in concealing his work, making it invisible.” Like a work of art, the surgeon will do his best to give you a nose to be proud of.”

A small bit of information: recorded rhinoplasty originated here 500 BC. The performing surgeon was Sushruta and his procedure is recorded in the Sushruta Samhita. Modern facial surgery travelled to the west and was pioneered by Dr. Jaques Joseph, an orthopaedic surgeon who became interested in facial plastic surgery. This happened in 1898. During those days, it was far more painful than it is today.

Getting into the act: remember, you’ve got to be completely sure that you want to go through this surgery, and the nose you end up with may not be ‘like’ anybody else’s. It has to suit your other features. Your surgeon will explain this to you in detail. If he doesn’t don’t be afraid to ask for one. The nose needs to be photographed from all angles for recording purposes and to assess the kind of work essential.

Blame it on race or on genetics, the most common problems in the nose area include:

• Broad nose with rather wide nasal bones
• Depressed nose, where the bridge is nonexistent
• Hump over the nose
• Bulbous tip of the nose

Essentially there are two types of Rhinoplasty: the open and the closed methods. Depending on the need of your nose job, your surgeon will discuss and decide on the type of Rhinoplasty that is best suited for you.

How it works: for the broad nose with rather wide nasal bones, the surgeon will have to perform an infacture. Which, essentially means he will cut the bone down to size and will push it towards the centre to give it the sharpness it needs. Then he will trim the bulbous part of all the excess fat and cartilage so the sharpness will be complete, look natural and suit the rest of the facial features to near perfection.

Depressed noses, where the bridge is almost or completely non-existent, need height. For such noses, it is best to use specially made implants. The Indian skin accepts implants quite well, making the necessity for harvesting cartilage from other parts of the body, like the rib or sputum unnecessary.

“There is no need to damage another part of the body for this purpose,” says Dr. Karthik, leading Face and Body Surgeon. He is the founder of the highly popular Chennai Plastic Surgery. “Nose surgery is very fine surgery. It is important that the surgeon takes great care in concealing his work, making it invisible.” Like a work of art, the surgeon will do his best to give you a nose to be proud of. However, if you want a nose like some celebrities, you may not be able to get it, simply because it is on their face, not yours.

Obviously, like any other surgery, this one too takes time to heal. You need patience to see the end results, which will appear after four to six months. You cannot expect to be operated on and get into a modelling assignment the very next week, or even month. Before you leap into a rhinoplasty, you need to plan yourself and work on your schedules in such a way that you have time to recover nicely and go back to your life with a brand new nose. And freshly fabulous self confidence.