The whole process was surprisingly quick and painless too!
Many say that aesthetic treatment is a road of no return; once you try it, you will not stop wanting to try another. If that’s true, I have just taken the first step. Yes, after years of internal struggle, I have finally gathered the courage to do something I have always wanted to, yet never taken action on – a nose filler!
Having a rather low nose bridge, I have never been very pleased with my nose, and I even often get called “Jackie Chan’s sister” since I was young. Add a bump around the middle of my nose bridge, and a rounded tip, and my nose ends up looking like a funny triangle in every photo I take, making me feel insecure and less attractive.
I have tried all sorts of make-up, from highlighters to contouring products, to remedy the situation, but the results have always been just okay, still not achieving what I desire. I’m afraid of reconstructing my nose with plastic surgery, but if I could just make a little modification to get the look I want, that’s all right with me.
So after a few years of thinking it over, I finally made the trip last week to The Clifford Clinic. I had a long discussion about the procedure with Dr Gerard Ee, and gathered all my courage to embark on my first ever facial aesthetic treatment – a nose filler, also known as non-surgical rhinoplasty.
Here are the main questions I had before doing my treatment, and the answers I learned at The Clifford Clinic:
What kinds of noses are suitable to do a nose filler?
While it may seem so, compatibility is not that big of an issue. What’s most important, first of all, is that you are content with your nose tip, nose wings and nostrils, and find only your nose bridge less than desirable, wishing it could be straighter and/or higher. If all you want to do is a small adjustment to just your nose bridge, then a nose filler is for you.
What exactly is a nose filler, or rhinoplasty?
A non-surgical nose filler injects a hyaluronic acid filler into an area of the nose (in my case, the nose bridge) to smooth out any humps. Hyaluronic acid sounds like a complicated chemical substance, but it’s actually something that all living things produce naturally, playing an important role in keeping our skin hydrated.
For humans, a lot of it can be found in our skin, connective tissues and eyes. So we can say that hyaluronic acid is safe and very compatible for use with our skin. It’s highly lauded for its amazing benefits, from maintaining our skin’s moisture levels to healing scars and contouring our face. As it is safe and quick, even producing fast results, hyaluronic acid nose filler has become one of the more common and popular aesthetic treatments out there today.
How long would the effects last?
If you are considering doing a non-surgical nose filler, one thing you should note is that it is not permanent; it will not last forever. Depending on the patient’s body, the results can last for nine months to a year on average. How long it lasts also depends on the type of hyaluronic acid used – the substance varies in molecular size, with the larger molecules being the toughest and can last the longest. The middle-size molecules are slightly softer but not very different from the large ones, but can penetrate into the deeper dermal layers. Finally, the smaller molecules are the acid in liquid form, typically used on finer areas such as wrinkles.
Expert doctors will customise the treatment according to the patient’s preference and the area they want to fill. Thus, finding a qualified clinic and a reliable doctor is of utmost importance!
What is the process like?
Before diving in, you need to have a good discussion with your doctor about what you want to fill and the look you want to achieve at the end. The doctor will then recommend a suitable amount and molecular type of the hyaluronic acid. Next comes the exciting moment of stepping into the room where it happens!
First, I got my face cleansed and a numbing gel applied on it. After a 20 minutes’ wait, and all the excess gel wiped away, the doctor makes a few marks on the spots to be injected.
My doctor drew marks at two spots, above and below the hump, so that the corrected nose bridge will look smooth and natural.
The injection happened very quickly, just like any ol’ injection, and it was pretty much painless. Even if you are as afraid of pain as I am, you need not fear this procedure!
The doctor used his hands to gently massage my nose bridge so the acid is spread evenly, and after a few minutes of lying still, it was over. The clinic kept me around for another 10 minutes to monitor me, and then I could go home. There’s not much of a downtime or recovery period at all, much to my surprise; I can just stick to my regular skincare and makeup routine.
Now, what about the results I was so eager to see?
It’s not hard to see from the before/after images – the bump on my nose bridge that has bothered me for so many years has disappeared! The arc of my nose bridge also looks much smoother, and in a natural way.
Personally, I am very satisfied with the results. Now, whenever I look in the mirror, my eyes tend to linger a few seconds longer on my new nose. Call me vain, but it’s true that my straighter nose has given my self-confidence a big boost! And the person who has made this fairytale-like experience possible for me is Dr Gerard Ee.
A certified and highly experienced aesthetic surgeon, Dr Gerard Ee got his medical degree from St George’s University of London, before working in hospitals in Singapore as well as New York. (Many of his patients have been local celebrities too, but don’t ask us for names.) If you are interested and have the courage to try an aesthetic treatment, I definitely recommend booking an appointment at The Clifford Clinic with Dr Ee!
Find out more about facial filler treatments offered at The Clifford Centre here.
24 Raffles Place, Clifford Centre, #01-03, Singapore 048621 (Exit A from Raffles MRT Station)
Contact no.: + 65 6532 2400
WhatsApp: + 65 8318 6332
Website: cliffordclinic.com/
A Chinese version of the article appeared here.
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