I’m a 17 year old male with a fairly large nose. It has one of your weirdass humps near the top of it and it has bothered me for some time. I’ve occasionally gotten comments on it; mostly negative (except from family, of course). Now, I don’t have a huge complex built up around my nose, but I am self-conscious about it nonetheless…From the front it looks fine, however, when I turn sideways, that’s when it becomes noticable. Anyways, my parents offered me nose surgery for my 18th birthday, and it was something I had been thinking about for some time. I was just wondering other’s opinions on this entire matter; am I over-reacting? Thanks!
Whoops, I spelled “Surgery” wrong in my subject…Maybe I should get brain surgery instead. 
Nothing wrong with plastic surgery. If it truly bugs you, then by all means get it fixed. Life is short; maximize your enjoyment of it.
Oops, another mistake, I meant “It has one of those weirdass humps”, not “One of your weirdass humps”. Maybe I shouldn’t write when I’m tired. Btw, thanks for the feedback Keith.
If it’s something that really bothers you, then you should go ahead and get surgery if that is what will make you happy. I don’t know a lot about plastic surgery, so I have no idea if they could reverse it if it turns out you don’t like it or change your mind. Make sure you really think it through though. There are a lot of things that I would have done at 18 (like get a tatoo), but decided not to, and am happy I didn’t two years later.
There are plenty of people that have tatoos and are very happy with them, and they look fine. It just isn’t for me though. Same with the plastic surgery. This might be kind of pessimistic, but think about if it came out and you thought it looked worse, and now it isn’t even your original nose.
Think it over and do whatever will make you happy!
If, by “near the top of it”, you mean in the bone, then 18 is minimum age - growth is generally completed by then, so that is when the minimum age is established. Watch your face carefully - photos (as in macro lenses) will help - do not cut until growth has stopped.
After that, if it bothers you, go for the rhinoplasty.
p.s. - never go with the lowest bidder!
Thanks, we’re actually going to a surgeon my mom went to for another surgery, and she was quite pleased. The cost estimate is between $5,500 and $6,000.
One friend of mine, a female, was in pretty much the same situation. She finally went ahead with the surgery. Personally, and many agree, I think she was quite beautiful before and is now still quite beautiful. Her mose was noticable, but easily forgettable. As in, once I knew her, I never really saw it like she did. She did have a complex with it, which was not helped by the kids she worked with.
I suppose the “once I knew her” is the catch. Of course once I know her, I won’t look twice at some random “flaw.” In fact, it ceases to be a flaw, just a part of a whole.
Anyhoo, I’m getting long-winded- she was very happy with it her surgery, and even though I knew her for years, it was hard to tell any work had been done.
If you are truly unhappy with your nose, and you have the chance to change it, and you don’t think you will regret it, then do it.
I hate my nose as well. It is normal, until you get to the end, and then it rounds off and looks generally odd. My husband and my mom say that I’m crazy, but since I’ve had comments about it from other people, I know I’m not the only one that notices it. I still don’t know if I’d change it, if I had the chance, because although I don’t like it, it is part of my face that’s been here for almost 23 years.
Just be aware that sometimes plastic surgery can go horribly wrong, and leave you looking much worse. Not to mention the pain, and swelling associated with it.
I truly wish you the best. That being said, realize that young people are cruel, and can blow a “flaw” greatly out of proportion. Perhaps your nose merely gives your face “character.” Cleopatra’s nose was very un-sightly, but her name is still synonymous with sexiness. Tom Cruise has a schnozz the size of Detroit, but lots of women find him very sexy.
My advice would be to wait a few years. As those around you mature, you may find that the teasing virtually ceases. Looks aren’t everything, you know. Perhaps if you learned to love yourself, just the way you are, you’d exude self-confidence which is much more attractive than a perfect nose.
Not having a “perfect” nose gives your face character.
I know a guy who had a very large nose, which I didn’t even notice until later when someone else pointed it out. I was just so swept away by the guy himself. Even when I did see that the nose was larger than average noses, I still think it really gave his face that memorabe character; just today, in fact, I stopped in the hallway to glance back at a guy I wouldn’t have looked twice at had he had a normal nose, but his larger nose reminded me so much of the other guy’s that I had to give him a second look.
reads over post, realizes how stupid it sounds, and decides to post it anyway.
skateboarder87, I’d think long and hard about this before you do it. I mean, the fact that you’re posting here means that you aren’t sure, and that’s good. You don’t have to get the surgery NOW just because your parents are offering it. Give yourself time.
I just recently saw a few TV specials about plastic surgery and I couldn’t believe it. These fine looking men and women were picking themselves apart and paying ridiculous amounts of money to fix the smallest and least noticable “flaws.” In fact, for most of the people that the shows followed, I preferred their “before-surgery” looks.
People defend plastic surgery as an esteem issue, but how far do you go in terms of self-esteem? Fixing your nose will not change anything BUT the shape of your nose; there will still be plenty of things about yourself that you won’t like.
I just think it’s dangerous to get into the mindset of feeling that the best thing is to cut apart and alter everything about your body that you don’t like.
Here’s the deal, it really is the only thing I dislike about myself…to this extent anyway; I’m not aiming for perfection. Also, someone above mentioned only young people commenting on my nose; I know of at least one adult who’s taken notice of it as well…I just don’t want to become known for my snoz.
Hey, it worked for Jimmy Durante. And for Cyrano DeBergerac.
But, I know what you’re saying. It’s a flaw, right there in the middle of your face, that you’re keenly aware of.
Be aware, though. You’re going through a lot of pain and fear, just to please other people. You don’t see your nose that much, unless you’re spending a lot of time looking in the mirror. You would hardly be aware of it if you weren’t reminded of it from time to time by comments which I would consider to be rude.
So, you’re letting someone cut open your face to please people who were rude to you. If your nose is your only flaw, and that deters anyone from appreciating you, then the problem lies not in your nose, but in themselves. If you see what I’m saying.
Remember, it’s not what your nose looks like that’s important; it’s what’s inside that counts.
Okay, I couldn’t resist that. I do, however, have an assignment for you. Go through pictures of actors who are considered to be handsome; find someone whose nose looks weirder than yours. Ask yourself if you’d be happy with the level of success that they’ve achieved. Then, look at the cautionary tale of Jennifer Grey; before the nose job, she was in Ferris Bueller and The Cotton Club and Dirty Dancing. After the nose job, TV movies, at best. She really lost a lot of character when she lost the schnozz. And now, with a perfect nose, she looks just like any other actress on the screen.
The other doubt I have is about your parents. I wouldn’t bring it up, but I know a beautiful young girl who just got breast augmentation because her mother wanted her to. She didn’t need it, her boyfriend was completely against it, but her mother wanted a perfect daughter. Do you feel like you’d be letting your parents down if you decided against the surgery?
Here’s the question that I want to end off with: Do you want to be talked out of this? If not, why did you post this question?
I’ve got a good-sized nose myself, and I hated it when I was a teenager. I “grew into” it, not physically but mentally, once I grew up. Now I wouldn’t change it for anything - it’s my face, and I like it.
I don’t know why so many people hate their noses. I do know that among the people who can afford it, plastic surgery has become almost routine. I wish we could all just go back to accepting that different people have differently-shaped noses. The more people have surgery to make their noses tiny and slender and hump-free, the more other people will think they have to do that in order to look “normal.”
Since you’re not sure about the surgery (and having stated my prejudices), I’d advise you to wait. Maybe you could ask your parents to put the money aside for you, if you’re afraid they won’t have it in a year or two. With something that can’t be undone, you should give it some time if you’re not absolutely sure you want to do it.
Ok, my parents do not want me to be “perfect”, fact is, they’ve never mentioned my nose until I brought it up. The decision is mine and mine alone, if fact, they’re trying to stay out of it as much as possible. They both like my nose, though they concede their opinion is bias as they are my parents. Anyways, it’s not so much the comments I’ve gotten about my nose that has warranted this possible surgery, as opposed to the way I feel about it. Granted, my opinion could and likely was shaped by said comment, but that is immaterial now. I also feel my nose could be a turnoff by girls, which is a fairly harsh blow. As for my posting this question, it was merely to gather opinions on it, I’m rarely “sure” of anything until I do some research.
I have to agree with what everyone has said so far. 17 is very young to be consdering something like plastic surgery. You should really take into account all that Mr. Blue Sky said; it’s great advice. Some soul-searching is in order here.
Plastic surgery is not the answer to self-esteem problems. I know many people have had it done, and are very happy with the results, but I always have to ask myself just what they’ve gained. Many “before” pictures I see feature completely normal, beautiful people. Every human looks different from every other human- this is just one of the many wonderful things about us. I don’t like to see “After” pictures for this very reason- they look the same to me, like an attempt to make many different faces into the same face.
We humans place a lot of importance on people’s faces. It’s what we use to identify ourselves and others, more than any other factor. Perhaps not liking your face could be a metaphor for not liking yourself? If so, a different face will not change the way you feel. You must accept yourself as you are, and when you do, others will follow you. Please, don’t start hacking off bits only because someone else doesn’t like them!
Bah, it’s not a “metaphor for not liking [myself]”. I like myself just fine; I fail to see how getting my nose changed would be any different than a haircut (besides one being permanent).
Well, Skateboarder87, it’s a little hard to talk about a nose we can’t see. Got a picture on a website we could look at?
All you naysayers - maybe the kid DOES have such an unusual snozz that a trim might be reasonable. But I’d say… probably not.
Here’s the real deal: at 17 or 18 a young man is almost never done growing. Aside from major deformity and/or trauma, you should NOT get anything altered until it’s done growing. Otherwise, the final shape could also wind up unsatisfactory. You don’t want to end up with a too-small kewpie doll nose in the middle of an otherwise large and masculine face.
You should sit down with a plastic surgeon and say you’re considering the surgery. Be specific what you don’t like. Ask him what can and can’t be done. Ask about complications and side effects (or look at a photo of Michael Jackson).
In general, the less you do the better off you are. Don’t like the hump? Just shave the hump. Where people go wrong is “I don’t like the hump and it’s too long and can you narrow it here…”
Above all, take your time. What’s the difference between plastic surgery and a haircut? Hair doesn’t feel pain, it doesn’t bleed, it can’t get infected, and it grows back. Facial surgery WILL hurt. You will look like a raccoon for a couple weeks from bruising. Yes, that all goes away, but it’s not something that is done and over in a day.
My advice is to wait until you’re 20 or 21 and if you still want to have this done, then go ahead. But I know 3 years can be a long time. In the end, it really is your decision.
Don’t forget before/after photos.