IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Mariam White

“When I was 14, my brother accidentally kicked me in the nose and I haven’t been able to breathe properly since. So, in 2010, I started visiting several plastic surgeons to inquire about a septoplasty to improve my breathing, but they insisted that I had a collapsed nostril and that my whole nose needed to be redone. The only way to preserve my ‘natural’ nose was to have a septoplasty with an ENT, but that procedure failed to make a difference in my quality of life and I gave the whole idea a rest. However, when the pandemic began, I had some more time to think about myself and how I wanted to move forward now that I've passed 40. Living with constant sinus pressure and a runny nose just seemed like something that I could try to fix instead of giving up on the dream to finally sleep properly. But with the decision to improve my physical health came accepting that I would be changing the appearance of my nose, the body part that I had a love-hate relationship with and that inconveniently sits in the middle of my face. The shape of my nose started to emerge when I was 14 — it’s familial; my mother inherited hers from her beloved father, and had a nose job when she was 30 (on Halloween and, yes, she did answer the door to trickor-treaters in her bandages).

It used to be a joke that a Jewish girl’s right of passage was rhinoplasty, but I think that my mother had regrets about her own choice and always told me that I should leave mine alone.

In high school, I was bullied about my nose and even my wedding photographer asked me if I liked my profile.

I was actually comfortable with the way it looked, which is what I feared most about getting this change. I knew physiologically that I couldn’t live like this, waking up in pain in the middle of the night, but my nose is a link to the past and I felt conflicted about changing it. My nose also didn’t stop me from getting married, building a great business and making so many of my dreams come true. In fact, I think it played a part in my life journey so far. Getting bullied for something you can’t control sucks, but in the '90s, you just moved on and built resilience, a quality that has helped me in my life.

In 2020, I started visiting different plastic surgeons in Toronto who would show me a rendering of my ‘new’ nose, and I left each appointment feeling ‘meh.’ They looked nice — read: basic — but they just weren’t what I wanted — when something is too perfect, it loses that character and sex appeal and these surgeons couldn’t understand that a bump and nod to my ethnicity was something that I really liked. My celebrity references were Rachel Weisz, Hailey Bieber for her cute bump, the Kates (Winslet and Blanchett) and the goddess Isabella Rossellini, most of whom definitely have more prominent noses.

The truth is that each time I visited a plastic surgeon I was looking for a reason to say no. Was their bathroom clean? Did their staff look too ‘done?’ Was their schedule too open?

When I found Dr. Roskies on Instagram, I noticed that his ‘after’ noses looked very natural. He performs preservation rhinoplasty, which is best suited for a patient like me because I wanted to reduce or lower the hump rather than change my entire look. But I still walked into his office with every excuse not to, wondering if he could even operate based on the fact that I had a previous surgery. After a lengthy onehour consult, Dr. Roskies determined that I had enough material to work with (turns out the previous surgeon removed zero septum), explained the process and drew out a nose on an iPad in front of me. To my surprise I put down the deposit right then and there. It just felt right.

Now, a few weeks after the surgery, there have definitely been some psychological ups and downs because I’m in that adjustment period where I am still getting used to my face. The pain was actually minimal, although my face swelled up pretty badly during the first week of recovery. I am very happy with my choice of doctor.

Dr. Roskies truly listened to me and was conservative with the change, leaving a little bump and explaining everything clearly throughout this whole process. Most importantly, my septum is perfectly straight — I felt that rush of cold air through my nostrils when I woke up from surgery. What’s been really nice is that people keep telling me I look like myself and I can’t stop staring at my profile in the bathroom mirror.

After 30 years, I’m not letting my bullies win, but doing this for myself and on my own terms.

My mother told me a funny story before my surgery to make me feel better about changing my nose’s character. My Bubby — grandmother — saw her for the first time after her rhinoplasty and asked, ‘Why didn’t you make it smaller?’”

Dr. Mike Roskies

“There are three major camps of rhinoplasty. The first is subtractive or reductive rhinoplasty. The problem with that technique is that when you remove tissues from a nose that not only have form but also function, it loses both. When you disrupt those valves, patients can’t breathe afterwards and the nose collapses over time. To counteract that, in the late 1980s surgeons developed a technique called structural rhinoplasty, which is what most surgeons are using today. This is taking cartilage from elsewhere in the body and using it to actually reinforce and strengthen the nose so that it doesn’t fall apart after you reduce some aspects of it.

Preservation rhinoplasty, which is the technique I use, has gained a lot of popularity in the last five years. The concept is, instead of rebuilding and reconstructing the nose, it should always feel the same and, most importantly, you should not have any long-term complications. It feels more natural, and it looks more natural. There isn’t too much you need to do by way of preparation. You have to be fit both physically and mentally and in the best possible shape you can be in. You also have to be mentally prepared for the long haul, as you’re going to have good days and bad days.

In recovery, there’s the rule of twos. It takes two weeks after surgery to look socially presentable, where you can walk on the street without major bruising or swelling and being noticed by a passerby. Then it takes two months for you to feel comfortable with your nose, when the changes are most substantial. Over the next two years is when the waiting game begins. It takes a very long time for swelling to go down, and the earliest you’ll see the final result is in eight to 10 months, but it often takes 12 months to two full years. It is an absolute journey.” 

Dr. Mike Roskies, MD, MSC, FRCSC, is a facial plastic surgeon and the owner of Yorkville Plastic Surgery in Toronto.

The Hair

Whether your hair type is dry and brittle or oily, its condition often comes down to the health of your scalp. At the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Willow Stream Spa in Vancouver, the Nourishing Hair and Scalp Treatment Add-On intensely moisturizes the hair with Shaeri’s signature products made of botanical ingredients from Morocco. It begins with an application of oil that’s warmed up and drizzled along the hairline. “This hydrates and nourishes the scalp while relaxing the body and mind. An intense care mask is then applied to the ends of the hair, followed by a full scalp massage,” says spa treatment manager Anna McAlary.

WHAT TO TRY

Shaeri Shampoo (200 ml), $30

Manta Healthy Hair Brush, $45

↑ Shaeri Deep Conditioning Mask (250 ml), $56

HOT TIP

↑ Shaeri Hair Oil (100 ml), $49

Whether at home or at the spa, don’t rush your Shaeri hair treatment. “We encourage our guests to leave the product in for a minimum of one hour before rinsing for best results,” says McAlary.

The Lips

At Tight Clinic in Toronto, nurse injector Nanz A. Adu-Gyamfi, RN BScN, says that lip filler can be helpful for those with concerns regarding fine lines on their lips and dehydration and those who want to create or restore volume.

“By respecting the natural anatomy of one’s lips, great results are inevitable and will allow for the lips to appear increasingly hydrated and rejuvenated,” she says. Here are her expert tips for lip-care on all stages of your journey.

PRE-INJECTION LIP CARE

→ Stop the use of all substances and medications that can cause blood thinning 72 hours before treatment. Some common daily-use substances include alcohol, ibuprofen, aspirin, fish oil and oral Vitamin E.

→ Clients taking blood thinner medications, such as Apixaban, Warfarin or Rivaroxaban, for a health-related condition must always seek medical approval from their primary healthcare professional before stopping their medications.

→ Oral arnica can be taken to assist with bruising. The herb comes in pellet form to be placed underneath the tongue and can be taken prophylactically two to three days before treatment to help minimize bruising and pain.

POST-INJECTION LIP CARE

→ I encourage clients to drink lots of water and usually recommend applying a hydrating ointment to the lips several times throughout the day. My favourite product to use on fresh lips is Aquaphor.

→ Avoid deep pressure and activity to the lips for at least 10 days or for the duration of your swelling. This includes massaging the lips, intense kissing, biting of the lips, puckering or drinking out of a straw or any other activity that can cause the filler to migrate or be displaced.

→ Avoid exercise for at least 24 hours after your filler treatment to keep swelling and discomfort under control.

→ Bromelain, a derivative of pineapple, can also assist with healing of freshly injected lips. It has anti-inflammatory properties that help with swelling which will usually occur with lip filler injections.

→ Schedule a follow-up appointment two to three weeks post-treatment. Experiencing lumps in the lips after filler is injected is common. Often these lumps will naturally subside as the lips heal. In some cases, a massage by your injector will be performed to smooth out any remaining lumps felt in the lips.

REMOVAL CONSIDERATIONS

→ The product used to dissolve hyaluronic acid can trigger clients with bee allergies.

→ Depending on how much filler a client previously had injected into their lips, sometimes multiple sessions are required to fully dissolve the filler.

→ Keep the lips hydrated and moist by consuming lots of water and applying a topical hydrating ointment to the lips throughout the day.

WHAT TO TRY (wait at least 24 hours after treatment)

Biologique Recherche Biokiss (15 ml), $75

← Biologique Recherche Creme Contour Yeux et Levres Biofixine (15 ml), $141

The Eyes

The eye area is notoriously delicate and mascara is a common culprit when it comes to causing eye irritation. Ooh-La-Lash! by VMV Hypoallergenics brings bold volume to lashes without common eyesore allergens like dyes, fragrance and phthalates. “It features a special compound that swells up and surrounds each lash strand in a tube,” explains VMV founder Laura Verallo de Bertotto. For ongoing eye care, Biologique Recherche’s Creme Contour des Yeux VIP O2 was recently reformulated to better absorb into the eye area and combat dark circles, while Magicstripes Wake Me Up Collagen Eye Patches provide an instant soothing pick-me-up.

WHAT TO TRY

Biologique Recherche Creme Contour des Yeux VIP O2 (15 ml), $105

← Magicstripes Wake Me Up Collagen Eye Patches (Single Pack), $14

The Cheeks

When volume is a key indicator of youth, keeping your face fit can make a big difference. “A big part of being a fit fat cell is maintaining a healthy size. You can promote healthy fat cell size through regeneration — the more cells you have, the smaller the average cell size. You can also promote healthy fat cell size by inducing lipid release. Our formula combines both strategies. It’s unique in that respect.”

Ivan Galanin, founder of Adipeau

What To Try

↑ VMV Hypoallergenics Ooh-LaLash! Volumizing Mascara, $36

HOT TIP

No need to rub harsh makeup removers over the eye area, which can further irritate skin. Oooh-La-Lash! dissolves with just a few splashes of warm water.

The Décolletage

Every professional Biologique Recherche facial treatment tends to the décolletage and the neck, not just the face, and it’s something that Veronika Gueorguieva, education director at Living Beauty Inc., says should be taken into consideration at home.

“There is a saying that the skin on the neck shows the true age of the person,” she says, pointing to the fact that people often neglect to apply their skincare and SPF to the area. “That’s why we should never forget to use our products for the face on the neck and the decolleté as well.”

WHAT TO TRY

Biologique Recherche

Masque Biofixine (100 ml), $307

The Arms

A little bronzing can go a long way to giving the appearance of toned arms. “If you're looking for a way to add a little extra confidence to your skin, then using self-tan might just be the perfect solution,” says James Read, founder of James Read Tan. For a touch of radiance, his Click and Glow Body Drops can be mixed with your SPF or body lotion for easy application. “Your skin will be left looking toned and radiant, boosting your confidence and making you feel your best.”

WHAT TO TRY

↑ Biologique Recherche Liftkiss (Single Mask), $36

↑ Adipeau Active Face Cream (50 ml), $120

Biologique Recherche Creme Matricielle (100 ml), $120

To Tone and Hydrate:

↑ Biologique Recherche Creme Matricielle Body (100 ml), $120

HOT TIP

To Glow:

↑ James Read Tan Click & Glow Body (30 ml), $68

The compact size of James Read Tan’s Click and Glow Body Drops means you can click anywhere and anytime, making them the perfect addition to your gym bag, to bring on holiday or to add to your daily skincare routine, whether it's morning, afternoon or even before bedtime.

The Hands

Hands are put through a lot of manual labour every day, from environmental stress to exposure to drying products like sanitizer or dish soap. Keep your bathroom stocked with products that nourish this hardworking area and remember to make time for some dedicated pampering for your mitts.

WHAT TO TRY

Olverum Purifying Hand Wash (250 ml), $44.50