REAL-LIFE STORY
A Full Face Approach
A
The story of 24-year-old Bridie, who, after experiencing an animal attack, sought to improve her confidence through non-surgical injectables
Before After fter an animal attack as a child, 24-year-old Bridie was left with a noticeable bump on her nose, leaving her feeling extremely selfconscious about her appearance. “I just hated it,” she says, “I really hated the way my face and profile looked, and I didn’t like having pictures taken. I had very negative memories associated with my nose and seeing it in pictures was as if I was staring at the incident in the face constantly.” Bridie had always wanted a surgical nose job (known as a rhinoplasty procedure) but when she realised her nose could be improved through non-surgical means she thought she would give it a try. “At the time I was 21. My mum has had cosmetic injectable procedures and was very open about it, so I knew the basics about the industry. I started to learn a bit more and I saw on Instagram that you could improve the shape of your nose with dermal fillers. As somebody who was always worried about surgery, it struck me that a non-surgical procedure might be a good option – I thought it seemed a lot easier, less Before and after frontal view. Results show improvements to the dark under-eye circles and lip symmetry. scary and less expensive. The other draw factor was, if I didn’t like it, the filler would eventually go away as it isn’t permanent and, if I did like it, I thought it could be a good option to try before considering surgery.” After looking online and doing a little research, Bridie came across PHI Clinic’s Instagram account and booked an appointment with aesthetic practitioner and medical director Dr Tapan Patel. She now reflects on her experience and how it’s changed her life.
Expressing cosmetic concerns In Bridie’s consultation, Dr Patel asked her why she had come to see him, what her main concerns were, and her intentions for treatment. “I firstly told him about the shape of my nose, which was my main concern. Then I detailed other areas of my appearance that made me hate being photographed without makeup on. I felt like I looked tired all the time, with dark circles under my eyes. I also told him that I felt my lips were quite wonky and asymmetrical, so I wanted to know if they could be evened out. I didn’t want anything too bold, big or extravagant; I just wanted little tweaks. Dr Patel was
“It might sound silly to some people, but this was genuinely life changing” beyondbeautylive.com
23
