The self-loving, body-positive brigade tells you it’s easy to enjoy what you see in the mirror.
You just need to “ignore the haters,” “don’t compare yourself to others,” and spend your mornings meditating and writing down what you’re thankful for while chewing a comforting croissant.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been a morning person and I certainly wouldn’t dream of having them write “affirmations” if I were. So instead, to “love myself,” at age 23, I boarded a flight to Turkey to get a cheap nose job.
And here’s a truth bomb: It’s the best money I’ve ever spent.
Write down I like my big nose, I like my big nose, I like my big nosemay have worked, but I guess we’ll never know now.
To be clear: no one needs a rhinoplasty. I certainly never thought I’d actually get one.
But I always hated my wide nose. And one evening early last year, after a few glasses of rosé and some mindless internet browsing to clinics in London (I lived in Britain before moving to DC last summer), I was booked in for a consultation on Harley Street. , the city’s famous haunt for celebrity surgeons.
The self-loving, body-positive brigade tells you it’s easy to enjoy what you see in the mirror. You just need to “ignore the haters” and spend your mornings keeping track of what you’re thankful for while chewing a mouthful of croissant. (Photo: Kara AFTER her nose job).
Unfortunately, I’ve never been a morning person and I certainly wouldn’t dream of having them write “affirmations” if I were. So instead, to “love myself,” at age 23, I boarded a flight to Turkey to get a cheap nose job. (Photo: Kara BEFORE her nose job).
A few days later I stood there, surrounded by women in expensive furs and oversized designer sunglasses, staggering to their chauffeured cars, their heads tilted down to hide the bandages and swelling.
I had never felt so out of place. I definitely didn’t have the extra cash either: In cities like London, New York, or DC, rhino jobs start at about $10,000 and can be many times higher.
But it couldn’t hurt to hear them, I told myself. Perhaps the promised results would simply be too good to refuse. Maybe I can collect the extra cash – or rob a bank.
Half way through my consultation with Dr. Deniz Kanliada – known in the industry as ‘The Nose King’ – told me about Turkey.
Dr. Deniz offers the same surgeries in Istanbul for half the price.
Tempting.
He then digitally edited a photo of my face to show me what the final product would look like.
I participate.
Before the consultation was over, I had booked a cheap round-trip flight and hotel and had started planning my post rhinoplasty trips to Istanbul’s beaches and museums.
The day before I flew I thought I’d better tell one person. I called my mother, in case the plane crashed and she was asked to identify the body. (The one with the big nose!)
Half way through my consultation with Dr. Deniz Kanliada – known in the industry as ‘The Nose King’ – told me about Turkey. Dr. Deniz offers the same surgeries in Istanbul for half the price. (Photo: Kara before surgery).
Before the consultation was over, I had booked a cheap round-trip flight and hotel and had started planning my post rhinoplasty trips to Istanbul’s beaches and museums. (Photo: Kara after surgery).
Of course she wasn’t happy about that, she thought I had a nice nose.
At 14 she also decided I had nice teeth and told the nice NHS orthodontist that braces wouldn’t be necessary.
Spoiler! There was a great need for braces and as an adult they cost me an arm and a leg and a whole world of pain.
Parents – your kids won’t blame you if you lend a helping hand. They will love you for it.
The first indication that I had done little or no research before this trip was when the plane landed on a stark white runway. Of course not. Does it snow in Southern Europe in April? My hand luggage was filled with flip flops and bikinis.
Even worse, I was not allowed to drink alcohol for 48 hours before surgery. I wasn’t nervous, but the Dutch courage couldn’t have hurt – especially after I arrived at my hotel to find it full of middle-aged men in various stages of a hair transplant.
In the end, the surgery took a few hours, but the recovery time was only a few days. Within a week I was back to work.
This was due to me opting for a ‘tip plastic’, a surgery offered exclusively by Nose King Dr. Deniz, where only cartilage is removed, without nose breakage and months of recovery, as with a traditional rhinoplasty.
Eighteen months later, I hardly think about my new nose.
That was of course the desired effect. It looks so natural and harmless that when I do my makeup or pass the mirror, I forget about it and stop being offended by what I see in front of me.
A few weeks ago, before I recently got married, I made a casual comment about my “fake nose,” and my husband-to-be turned deathly pale. “Well, you never asked,” I said.
The recovery time was only a few days. Within a week I was back to work. This was due to me opting for a ‘tipplasty’, a surgery offered exclusively by Nose King Dr. Deniz, where only cartilage is removed. (Pictured: Kara before surgery, left, and after, right).
When I showed him my “before” photos, he told me he loved both noses equally (because he had to).
But the thing is, when I tell my secret to female friends, the responses tend to be less forgiving.
“Women don’t have to change for men.”
“Your nose was fine before.”
“You shouldn’t have trusted that Turkish hospital.”
The latter might be true, but personally my experience in a Turkish hospital was nothing but good.
As for the other criticisms people throw at me—probably right after one of those early morning self-worship sessions—I’ll say simply, my nose might have been fine for you before, but now i love it. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
I certainly saved myself the hassle of having to spend hours contouring with thick bronzer. And yes, I also saved myself the better part of $5,000 by going to Turkey. So basically I made money if you think about it long enough.
People whine about how surgery makes women bad feminists. But is that true?
Is a subtle little thing really that different from hair extensions, thick foundation or an eyelash lift?
As for the other criticisms people throw at me—probably right after one of those early morning self-worship sessions—I say simply, my nose may have been fine to you, but now I love it. That is what counts. (Photo: Kara after her nose job).
No, I’m not saying everyone should rush for a facelift, tummy tuck, filler or whatever. And I also think that aging naturally can be beautiful.
But if you really don’t like what you see, if you really want something done, stop complaining and go get it, girls.
That’s a hundred times more feminist than bashing me for what I do with my body.
Eighteen months later, I can happily and unequivocally say that I made the right choice.
The only possible regret came when, on the eve of my marriage, I thought about the prospect of future children.
As I looked at myself in the reflection of my iPhone screen, I smugly thought, well, they’ll have cute little pinched noses… and then I remembered.