Rhinoplasty and its Philosophy
Nose aesthetics ranks among the most common aesthetic surgeries performed in Turkey. In our country, where rhinoplasty is very common, most of you probably know how these operations are performed, or you must have seen the changes and results in people who have undergone nose surgery.
Here, I would like to touch upon some important points about the nose that are unknown or not perceived.
The nose is one of the most interesting organs of the human body. This is because its back is in front, its tip is down, its root is up, and its wings are down. It is the first stop that warms the air we breathe and purifies it from dust.
It is the first sensory organ known in history where the sense of smell is experienced. Women smell better than men due to estrogen hormones. Women's sense of smell increases even more during ovulation (egg formation), when estrogen levels are highest. Humans have the ability to distinguish approximately 4000 odors.
The historian philosopher Johann Gottfried Seume wrote that the nose is also an emblem of the spiritual world. Dahlke, in his psychosomatic handbook, describes the meaning of the nose as "dominance, pride, power, sexuality."
Bornemann, a sociologist, wrote in 1991 that the nose was understood as a sign of power in men, and therefore it was thought in society that the size or smallness of the nose was proportionate to the penis, and that it was actually related to sexual desire and power (libido-potency).
Johan Caspar Lavater, one of the prominent figures in sociology and psychology, states that the nose is not merely an organ for breathing and smelling, but also reflects masculine strength and character, and is an ethnic symbol.
In his comedy, Edmond Rostand depicted Cyrano de Bergerac as an ugly, large-nosed but broad, kind-hearted figure. We all know Collodi's tale of Pinocchio, whose nose grew longer every time he lied.
An ugly-looking nose is a frequently used motif in literature and painting.
“The reflection of fear and anger is seen in the genital organs and is perceived as a problem in these organs. If this reflection does not occur in the genital organs, then it is reflected in their symbolic characteristics; just like the nose…” This is how Roth speaks of the nose in his 1959 book, “The Face–Genital Equation.”
As can be understood from the general meaning of the nose, sometimes in patients with mental disorders, neurotic and psychological disorders are reflected in the nose, and the patient thinks there is a problem with their nose. It is clear that a nasal surgery performed on a patient whose psychoses have not been treated or recognized can lead to very distressing problems for both the patient and the surgeon.
When we carefully consider all of these, we see that the nose has many functions and meanings. Before operating on patients who have a problem with such an important organ, we need to examine them much more carefully, perhaps under a magnifying glass.
The nose is not an objectively beautiful organ. Experiments with 6-month-old babies show that the nose is not an objectively beautiful organ. These experiments utilized babies' ability to distinguish between beautiful and ugly people and to choose the beautiful. In the nose-lips, nose-eyes, nose-breasts, nose-buttocks visuals placed in front of the babies, the small babies preferred organs other than the nose in every comparison. The same experiment was also performed with the ear instead of the nose, and it was observed that the babies also excluded the ear from their choices.
The conclusion drawn from this is that the nose and ear, with all their curves, indentations, and protrusions, are not aesthetically prominent organs compared to organs with softer contours, but rather complementary elements of the face.
The less noticeable the nose is, the more the beauty and softness of the face stand out thanks to the eyes and lips. The prominence of the nose (being large, crooked, deformed, or having had cosmetic surgery) prevents the perception of the beautiful areas of the face; its lack of prominence brings out these beautiful aspects.
If the nose were a beautiful organ of a woman, folk songs would be written about it; just as they are written about other organs like "my pencil-browed one, my hazel-eyed one, my rosy-cheeked one, my cherry-lipped one"...
However, no organ has been used metaphorically in daily speech as much as the nose: "He's stuck up, his head is in the clouds, he won't let anyone get a word in edgewise, he's the spitting image of him, he pokes his nose everywhere, to not be able to see the end of one's nose, to make someone pay dearly..." And the "nanik" hand gesture we used as children to annoy someone...
The nose is also a very noticeable organ in terms of aesthetic appearance in our society. Traumatic or congenital nasal deformities always attract attention, and often the person encounters hurtful, offensive, or mocking behaviors from their surroundings. Only individuals with very balanced character and mood can withstand this psychological pressure.
Especially in individuals up to 25 years old, whose social life is not yet fully settled, the desire to change the shape and form of the nose is much higher in terms of social acceptance. After this age limit is exceeded, the confidence and balance brought by professional and family life move the person away from the nose problem. If this psychological pressure continues after this stage, the person should seek a solution through plastic surgery.
The desire of people to reduce their noses, which makes their faces look harsh, is actually a subconscious reflection of a softer character and a sensitive spiritual world that does not fit a harsh facial appearance. The motivation of patients who desire surgery should be evaluated within these realities.
If the decision to operate for the correction of a nose is made at the right time for the right patient, and if the operation is performed technically in accordance with the rules, the positive psychological effect that the result will bring is one of the strongest among all aesthetic surgeries. After a successful nose surgery, the patient's self-confidence increases. One should not be surprised by this situation; because the nose is right in the middle of the face, and it is impossible not to see it.