A recent client booked in to have her liquid rhinoplasty treatment (a non-surgical nose job using filler) reversed – where we put a reversing agent called hyalase.
She was due to have surgery on her nose to correct some of the cartilage and bone that had displaced (septoplasty) as it was affecting her breathing. So, by coming in to have her filler treatment reversed, the surgeon would then be able to see her “real” nose before proceeding.
But as she sat in the chair, I could tell she was apprehensive.
At SkinViva, every client has a consultation before any treatment is carried out. We use this time to fully understand what each client is hoping to get out of the treatment, whilst understanding your fears too.
At first, I couldn’t quite understand the hesitation for having a reversal.
I could see her head was full of questions that she almost dare not voice. So, I said out loud what my instincts were saying:
“You look lost as to what you should be doing and perhaps you’re even having doubts about the choices you’re making…”
At that point we connected, “I’m just not sure how my nose will look after surgery”. I asked her what discussions she’d had with the surgeon and he’d talked about how the procedure would improve breathing, but not discussed how her nose would look.
Alarm bells also rang when my client read a letter from the surgeon stating…
“Patient doesn’t mind how her nose looks“.
That sentence was plaguing her – it would me too!
Initial gut thought – why didn’t she ask how it would look?! Probably fear? Fear is what holds each of us back.
Amongst our chat, she uttered something along the lines of, “but I should be grateful it’s free on the NHS”.
My reply was if they’re doing surgery on your nose to correct the septum for a functional reason, it doesn’t mean you can’t at the same time have a good-looking nose. You’re not a bad person in any way to want a straighter nose. Our face is the first part of us we present to others and we should feel confident about it.
I could see our little chat had empowered her to feel she had permission to now ask her surgeon some questions. She became quite chatty, smiley and we got on with reversal.
I felt like I did something good today simply by exploring her fears with her. It gave her permission to ask for what she wanted!
It brought up a question for me too…
I think it comes down to fear; the fear of being perceived as vain!
Vanity is excessive pride in how we look.
There is however, such a huge difference between feeling confident in how we look and excessive pride. I think we can help ourselves and each other so much better once we recognise that difference.
We all deserve to feel confident in how we look. After all, our face is the first part of us that we present to others.
Confidence does not equal vanity!
How would it make you feel if you saw the same sentence on your surgery confirmation: “Patient doesn’t mind how her nose looks”. Would you react in the same way as this client?
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