I am a 17 year old student and I have really bad confidence issues because of my nose.

Your questions answered by our surgeon, Lucian Ion, FRCS(Plast)

Asked on 20 December 2010

Question

Hi I am a 17 year old student and I have really bad confidence issues because of my nose.

I do not mean minor confidence issues, I really have no confidence at all. I really do need a nose job but do not have the money for the treatment.I really do not know what to do.

Answer

Although confidence issues are frequently ascribed to a physical characteristic, more often than not, they are independent and require a separate mechanism of correcting them.

I suggest that you should discuss your concerns with your family, and perhaps with your GP, and that the first port of call should be to evaluate with a clinical psychologist what the current situation is. If guidance from the psychologist is that surgical intervention is likely to be significantly helpful, there may be scope for treatment under the NHS, although this is unlikely.

The guidance however may be that surgical intervention is not the priority, but rather that assistance from the psychologist is the most relevant element.

Mr Lucian Ion FRCS(Plast)
129 Harley Street
London
W1G 6BA