My Rhinoplasty Experience Part 1: Deciding to Get a Nose Job & Choosing a Surgeon

For most of you who know me IRL, I’m an open-book regarding my nose job! But if you’re an internet friend or didn’t know me four-ish years ago, you may not know I got a rhinoplasty when I was 18. I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to share my rhinoplasty experience on the internet. Not because I’m embarrassed, but because this was a deeply personal decision and experience for me. However, I decided I wanted to share my rhinoplasty experience because I personally found so much comfort and understanding reading/watching others’ experiences before going through with a rhinoplasty myself! And I will tell you right up front I had a wonderful, easy experience – nothing too scary here!

Because this was such a long and thoughtful process for me, I wanted to share it all in a few different parts. I just didn’t want to cram all this information about my rhinoplasty experience into one long, overwhelming post. This is Part One, which will cover why I decided to get a nose job and how I chose my surgeon. Part Two will cover the surgery itself and the recovery period, and Part Three will have a Q&A. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments here, or DM me!

If you’re not here specifically to learn more about getting a nose job (which is, of course, more than okay!) I just ask that you proceed with an open-mind! Plastic surgery isn’t for everyone, and I completely respect that. Definitely not trying to tell anyone what to do or what not to do with their own bodies. This was the right choice for me personally, and I just wanted to share my rhinoplasty experience!

Deciding to Get a Rhinoplasty

Insecurity

When I was 13, I opened up to my mom about how much I hated my nose. It was large, crooked, skinny at the top and big at the bottom, and had a huge bump in the middle. Ever since I can remember, it had been my biggest insecurity. To me, it was like everything that could have been wrong with my nose, was wrong. I envied other people’s noses (yes, seriously) and wished mine was different. When I told my mom how I felt, she completely understood. She told me if I still felt that way when I was older, we could talk about the possibility of me getting a nose job.

I forgot about this proposition for a while (never forgot about my nose obviously, just the idea of a nose job). But, as I went through high school, I felt increasingly insecure. In high school, I very much felt like the ugly duckling. Boys never seemed interested in me, and for a long time I thought “maybe if I had a cuter nose, boys would think I’m pretty.” Insane and SO NOT TRUE, I know! I genuinely hated looking in the mirror or looking at photos of myself. I would sit in class or out in public and wonder if the people sitting around me noticed the bump in my nose. My friends even knew I didn’t like taking any side-profile photos.

It makes me so sad to know I once felt that way about myself. When I would bring up how much I hated my nose, lot of people said to me “Oh, I don’t like my nose either!” It’s really important to note that “don’t like” is very different than the deep-rooted insecurity and unhappiness I felt.

Before Photos

Here are a few ‘before’ photos of my nose, just so you can see what I was talking about above (#tbt to my natural hair color)! After photos are coming in Part Two, I promise!

Finding My Confidence

After graduating high school, I began to think more seriously about plastic surgery. And as I navigated freshman year of college, I had lots of long conversations with my friends about the idea of getting a nose job. I realized through these conversations, I had to do it for me, not for anyone else. Especially not for any boys I thought would like me better if I had a prettier nose!!!! It’s easy to justify cosmetic surgery because you think it will make you more attractive, more popular etc. but that’s absolutely the wrong reason to do it. No one should ever get plastic surgery to look ‘better’ for someone else.

Luckily, through my freshman year at TCU I grew SO MUCH in my self-confidence. I can’t even begin to tell you. I felt good in my skin, I felt like I could be myself, I felt pretty… but, my nose still bothered me.

And so, a lot more thinking and a lot more deep, thoughtful conversations, I decided a rhinoplasty was something I wanted to do. 100 percent for me, and not for anyone else. I knew plastic surgery wasn’t a fix for all of my insecurities – there will always be something I don’t like about myself (heck, I could give you a whole list right now!). Surgery wouldn’t fix any of that. I knew this before even going into consultations, and that’s my biggest piece of advice before committing to plastic surgery.

Make sure you’re doing it for you, and that you know it won’t fix everything.

I think it was really key that I found my self-confidence before I went through with surgery. I know that might sound a little hypocritical – why would I need plastic surgery if I was confident in myself? – but to me it felt like, “I know myself. I love myself. But I still want to change this one thing.” And that really gave me peace of mind that I was making the right choice for me.

Getting a Rhinoplasty at 18

As far as age goes, I didn’t feel like I was ‘too young,’ though I know some people might think so. And I definitely don’t look back on it now and wish I had waited! My parents were heavily involved in the decision, so it wasn’t like I turned 18 and immediately jumped into this. I don’t think age matters as much as having seriously and intentionally thought through the process – unless of course you’re not an adult (and that’s a whole other thing). This, I’m sure, differs from person to person because so many factors go into making a decision like this. So for me, the timing was right, but there’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all in terms of age/timing!

Picking a Plastic Surgeon

After deciding I wanted to get a rhinoplasty, the next task was to find a surgeon I felt comfortable with. This was a process! I met with around four different plastic surgeons for consultations before deciding which one I wanted to do the surgery. Definitely schedule multiple consultations, take notes, and compare pros and cons! I am still so thankful I took a significant amount of time to research and meet with different doctors. This definitely isn’t something to jump right into.

When picking a Plastic surgeon, find someone who thoroughly explains the process and isn’t going to rush you.

I had one doctor slap a generic tiny ski-slope nose on my face via Photoshop and attempt to schedule my surgery for the next week. No, thank you!! At first glance it may have seemed like a great option. I mean who doesn’t want an adorable ski-slope nose for an, all things considered, low price? However, this appointment only lasted around 15 minutes, and the doctor couldn’t even explain to me how the procedure would actually work.

Next!

Another huge piece of advice? LOOK AROUND THE WAITING ROOM.

Essentially, do the people sitting in that waiting room look the way you want to look? If you’re going for a natural look, do the people around you look like they’ve had plastic surgery? If you can tell right off the bat, maybe that’s not the doctor for you. The waiting room is the best place to see the actual work your plastic surgeon has done. I wanted my new nose to look as natural as possible, so that if you didn’t know me before, your first thought upon meeting me wouldn’t be “Wow, she looks like she’s had plastic surgery!” Again not because I’m embarrassed, but because I wanted my nose to look like it had always been the way it would be post-surgery. Who wants a nose that doesn’t look like it belongs on their face?

My Doctor – And How I Knew He Was ‘The One’

I met with a few other doctors, none of whom raised as many red flags as the first, but who I still didn’t feel entirely comfortable with.

And then finally I met with Dr. Barnett.

Y’all this man is an ARTIST. My rhinoplasty experience would not have been the same without him. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for a plastic surgeon, Dr. Barnett is your man. Someone I know recommended Dr. Barnett, so I knew I was in good hands. It felt like reassurance that since he’d done a great job on someone I knew, he’d do a great job on my nose! I think trusted friends or family are the best place to go when looking for a doctor.

Dr. Barnett was also unbelievably kind, understanding, and set clear expectations from the get-go. I remember the first thing he said to me was, “Tell me what you don’t like about your nose.” Most other doctors had jumped in with what they would fix, so this really stood out to me.

Dr. Barnett told me about the structure of my nose, and what would/wouldn’t be achievable based on my nose (contradicting promises other surgeons had made to me that I knew were too good to be true!).

Then he showed me tons of befores and afters of his patients, specifically pointing out those who had started out with noses similar to mine. After that he walked me through what he would do during my surgery, step by step. I couldn’t repeat this to you because 1) hearing made me a little queasy, 2) this was so long ago I wouldn’t even be able to accurately tell you what he said, and most importantly, 3) I am not a doctor! Despite feeling a little queasy, hearing him give me a super detailed plan at my consultation put me at ease.

He also made it very clear I should take time to think everything through, and he would be ready when I was! I didn’t feel pressured like I had at previous appointments, and after my consultation I already knew I trusted Dr. Barnett. His staff was so kind and helpful, and the patients in his waiting room all looked fabulous. Having the right surgeon really made my rhinoplasty experience as easy and stress-free as possible!

Pricing

A common question I get when asked about my rhinoplasty experience is pricing. I won’t be sharing the cost of my rhinoplasty here. However, the average rhinoplasty costs $5,350 – which doesn’t include other necessities like anesthesia, surgical facilities, medication, etc. It definitely depends on where you live, and cost also varies greatly between surgeons! It’s important to note that a higher price does not always mean a better surgeon. You definitely want to take into account the whole picture like I talked about above!

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Whew! That was a lot of info that I hope was helpful! If you made it this far, thank you for reading about my rhinoplasty experience and letting me be a whole lot vulnerable with you. I will be back with Part Two soon, which gets into the nitty gritty of my rhinoplasty experience – we’re talking photos, recovery, etc.

Please leave any questions you have and I will be sure to answer them in Part Two or Three!

xx, c