“When I had my follow-up with Mr Karidis, I told him he’d turned me into a monster. Now, all I do is take selfies. He has changed my life and made me so confident. All that time I spent worrying about what others thought of me and being conscious of my nose has just gone.”
Bridget had always hated her nose since she was bullied as a teenager and it had affected her confidence throughout her life. She proves that it’s never too late to make an important change as she chose her 60th birthday as the opportunity to undergo a rhinoplasty procedure and she is delighted with the results.
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Why I decided to have a rhinoplasty
“Times were very hard when I was growing up as my mum was on her own with five children and there wasn’t much money.
“I was quiet and shy but had a small circle of friends that I’m still close to. At 15, we used to go to our local youth club and then one lad started shouting these horrible names at me. He was probably just showing off to his mates, but that moment changed everything.
“I’d always known I had a large, crooked nose, just like my mum. But I’d never worried about it until that day. After that I didn’t want to go out and I would cry myself to sleep.
“Name calling is so cruel and mentally it has stayed with me my whole life. A year later, I left school and got a full-time job and have worked ever since. When people talked to me, though, I always thought they were looking at my nose and when I heard someone laughing in the office, my first thought was that they were laughing at me.
“I never considered having a nose job. My childhood experiences meant that I could never allow myself to spend money on something I thought was frivolous or purely for vanity reasons. I was still helping my mum and my siblings and there was always something to save up for that seemed more important.”
My experience at Karidis Clinic
“As I got older, I became more confident and I met my husband nearly 30 years ago. A couple of years ago, we had some money and John said, “I love you as you are, Bridget, but why don’t you get your nose done for you.”
“Turning 60 was a big moment. I’d lived with this hang-up for 45 years and finally I gave myself permission to go ahead.
“For about a year, I did lots of research online, by watching videos and looking at before and afters. It was going to be a big job!
“I had my appointment with Mr Karidis in June 2021 and he asked me why I wanted nose surgery. I got choked up, telling him about the name calling and the effect it had on me. He just said, don’t worry, I’ll sort you out, and that was it. I wanted it done as soon as possible.
“As soon as I made the decision, I had no nerves. John dropped me off on the day of the surgery and the staff were so lovely. I met Mr Karidis, the anaesthetist and Stevie, the surgical nurse, before the operation and they put me at ease.”
The rhinoplasty recovery
“After the operation, the most uncomfortable thing was the padding up my nose and I didn’t sleep one wink that night in hospital. I went home the next day and spent a week sleeping upright as it felt more comfortable.
“Stevie removed the cast a week later. Even though my nose was swollen and the bruising was bad, I was in tears as the bump was gone and the difference was already so dramatic. I made John take a picture of my profile when I got back in the car and I look miserable because my face was too numb to smile, but inside I was so happy.”
My rhinoplasty journey
“I wish I had done it much earlier. It has definitely held me back and maybe I would have chosen a different career or achieved other things in life. I thought the money wasn’t there for me to spend on something that wasn’t necessary, but actually it was necessary for me.”
