Photo courtesy of djcodrinThe latest issue of Elle landed in my mailbox a few weeks ago; buried deep in the back of the magazine, under the "BEAUTY: PSYCHOLOGY" section were a pair of articles about rhinoplasty.
The first one, titled "Pieces of You", discusses the author's regret later in adulthood regarding her surgery; she felt she had lost a vital connection to her father, whose proud nose she had inherited and chose to alter as a teenager.
The second article, "Mother, Mirror", takes a different point of view; this author tells how she came to terms with the unique shape of her nose, despite everyone else's unsolicited opinions and advice.
Plastic surgery, clearly, isn't for everyone. The CNN article briefly delves into some of the limitations of age; it raises the question of whether or not rhinoplasty (or any cosmetic surgery, for that matter) is an appropriate "graduation gift" for a teenager.
Even beyond the age issue, I think the decision to change the shape of your nose is one of the most difficult, for both the patient and the surgeon. The nose is such a key architectural element of your face, and it often carries a lot of cultural weight. Much of your nose's shape and structure is related to race and heredity. Some people want to keep some of those ethnic or familial nuances when they have their rhinoplasty; others are committed to eliminate all traces in order to obtain their concept of the ideal nose.
There is no right or wrong; it's a very personal decision and one that you have to live with for the rest of your life. It's as plain as the nose on your face.
