Nose jobs - Apparently men have them too.

Roger Knowsley (identity changed) is a 26 lawyer from Nottingham who had underwent a rhinoplasty seven years ago.

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How much did vanity have to do with you operation?
I did want to look better but not because I wasn’t happy with my natural nose, but because it was broken in an accident when I was about 13 and I guess it got deviated then and just kept growing bent, so by the time I was in my late teens it was really bent, and really noticeable so I took a year out to earn money to get it fixed.

How does having a ‘bent’ nose affect your life?
Obviously it makes you look disfigured and like with anything you always think people are looking at it. And that really affects your confidence.

What were the circumstances of the accident?
I was playing football at school and I was in goal, I caught the ball just in front of my face. A mate ran in to try and header it out of my hands as joke but unfortunately as he went to head it, I pulled the ball down and he butted me straight in the nose.

Some mates you have!
Accidents happen, some people are crippled or killed by other accidents so I suppose I got off lightly. Besides, my nose didn’t just get bent straight away, it only got really bad as I started to grow. By the time I was 15 I was wary of it but when I was 17/18 it was really getting me down.

So what made you go for it in the end?
Well money as always the biggest factor, so when I got the chance to work for a year after college to raise the money I took it, also by then my mum had come round to the idea.

What made her change her mind?
A family friend who hadn’t seen me for a good few years came round to visit my family when I was just going into my final A level exams, i.e. when my nose was bad, and mum said afterwards that this friend had mentioned it to her - mum hadn’t really thought much about it til then. But I guess she figured if other people were noticing then maybe it wasn’t all in my head. She helped me get it done quicker by lending me the money so I could get it done asap, and then I paid her back. Well most of it anyway.

Was it hard to find a place to get it done?
There were tons of places you could do it, you wouldn’t believe how many and the prices vary greatly from place to place. I went for one that a friend of mums recommended, I checked it out and it seemed reasonably priced and had an excellent reputation.

This wasn’t the same friend of your mums that mentioned it to your mum was it? cos it sounds like she was on commission if it was.
Haha no, her daughter had had it done there and I think my consultation was free cos I was a recommendation, which saved me about £250.

Can you tell us a bit about the operation?
To be honest with you I don’t even remember that much about the consultation, let alone the operation. I know the doctor said he was gonna use an American technique which meant I’d be left with a tiny scar under my nose, but he said that’s what he recommended , as for the operation I was terrified something would go wrong and wasn’t really myself for a few days before hand. Mum said I was really difficult through that period.

Did you think about dropping out?
Yeah, I knew there was a risk it could make it worse but I thought the risk was worth it if there was the chance of making it better.

Did you notice the results immediately?
No, I was wearing a cast over my nose for about two weeks, I just had to wait for it to fall off naturally, my nose was so swollen and always bleeding so I had no idea what it looked like, even when the cast came off I couldn’t tell cos there was so much dirt and crap accumulated on it while the cast was on, it looked the same as before.

Bet they didn’t tell you about that in the brochure.
Oh, it was disgusting, seriously you could have spooned the crap off my nose there was so much of it.

But were you happy with it after that?
Yeah, it wasn’t perfect but it was a hell of a lot better and I felt a lot more confident and people viewed me as better looking as well so it was definitely worth it.

How much was it all in all?
Procedure, hospital bed, anaesthetist and follow up probably came in around £3200.

How much do you still owe your mum?
About £2000, but as soon as I’m fully qualified and earning a real lawyers wage I’ll pay it all back.

Mate you’re a lawyer, I know you lie for a living but you're not working now so don’t have to pretend your paying her back…

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Roger stormed off saying that was an insult, that he would be taking me to court for libel damages and that I’d be hearing from his lawyer in the morning, which was… him.

He told me I was going to be sued and I figured I’d go along with it cos at least then he’d have the money to pay his mum back.

Hearing Roger's experience was refreshing as it was done in the quest to look normal rather than trying to be perfect, highlighting the necessity for plastic surgery in non narcissists.

After all, some people do it to get noticed, other people do it so that they don’t.