[ad_1]
EXCLUSIVE: Annie Mae Dawes suffered with extreme respiration points since beginning and spent her childhood feeling insecure about her nostril – after years of frustration, she took issues into her personal fingers
17:00, 08 Feb 2025Updated 17:07, 08 Feb 2025
Annie Mae Dawes at all times hated her nostril(Image: Cover Images)
Annie Mae Dawes has battled severe breathing issues since birth. But that didn’t stop her from taking TikTok by storm with her raw and honest journey to self-confidence.
The 23-year-old Londoner, who has racked up over 1.7 million likes on some of her videos, spent years feeling insecure about her nose—something that had troubled her since she was just 11 years old.
But Annie wasn’t simply coping with self-doubt—her nostril additionally brought about actual well being struggles. Determined to carve out a profession within the magnificence trade, she began working as a make-up artist at simply 14, taking purchasers on weekends and even working weddings.
Annie’s nostril brought about actual well being struggles(Image: Cover Images)
Fast forward to today, and she’s worked at some of the UK’s biggest events, including Capital’s Summertime Ball, Jingle Bell Ball, the National Television Awards, and London Fashion Week.
Through it all, Annie has been open about every step of her transformation, inspiring countless followers along the way.
“I’ve struggled with extreme respiration points my entire life, and my nostril grew to become one thing I fixated on,” Annie admits.
“By the time I turned 23, I lastly determined it was time to deal with it correctly with a septorhinoplasty.”
The journey to her determination wasn’t simple. Annie had tried fast fixes like fillers, hoping they’d enhance her nostril’s look. Instead, they made her nostril look greater and gave it a wierd form.
Before and after the surgical procedure(Image: Cover Images)
“Fillers have been such a disappointment,” she remembers.
“They weren’t fixing something; they have been simply masking the issue.”
What followed was an 11-year search for the right surgeon.
“I consulted numerous ENT specialists and surgeons each within the UK and Turkey,” Annie shares.
“It wasn’t simply in regards to the aesthetics—I wanted somebody who may repair my respiration too. Finding a surgeon who may do each was essential.”
Annie spent 11 years on the lookout for the precise surgeon(Image: Cover Images)
Her breathing issues, as she later discovered, stemmed from her airways being 60% blocked by a deviated septum, combined with an untreated nasal fracture.
“What made it so irritating was how lengthy it took to get solutions,” Annie says.
“I’ve been seeing medical doctors for my nostril since I used to be a little bit lady, however nobody may determine what was flawed. Me and my mum pushed and pushed, however we saved hitting useless ends.”
Annie is quick to acknowledge the importance of the NHS, saying, “I’m extremely grateful now we have entry to free healthcare within the UK. The NHS has been wonderful for different well being points, however when it got here to my nostril, I simply obtained unfortunate.”
Unfortunately, a lot of her consultations ended the identical approach—together with her being prescribed the identical ineffective steroid sprays repeatedly.
She was prescribed the identical ineffective steroid sprays repeatedly(Image: Cover Images)
“I will need to have been given about 10 prescriptions for a similar spray,” she says. “I’d use it for the complete period, return to the physician, inform them it hadn’t helped, and so they’d simply say, ‘Give it another go.’ It was maddening.”
Annie later learned that overusing those sprays weakened her nose.
“Another spray I used grew to become an dependancy with out me even realising it. It labored by decreasing swelling, however the second I finished utilizing it, my nostril would swell worse than earlier than. I used it each day for years—approach past the really useful seven days.”
This misuse caused serious damage, including a 1cm hole in her septum.
“When my surgeon noticed my nostril through the session, he actually gasped,” Annie remembers.
Annie determined to take issues into her personal fingers(Image: Cover Images)
“It regarded like I’d been utilizing unlawful substances, regardless that I’d by no means touched medicine in my life. It was horrifying to assume one thing over-the-counter may trigger that.”
After years of frustration, Annie decided to take matters into her own hands and look abroad for a solution. Her research led her to Turkey, a country renowned for its rhinoplasty expertise.
“Turkey has a few of the most skilled surgeons on the earth, and rhinoplasty is one thing they’re extremely expert at,” she explains.
“That mentioned, I did in depth analysis to make sure I discovered the precise surgeon for me.”
“Doing thorough analysis in your surgeon is totally important,” Annie shared.
Her analysis led her to Turkey(Image: Cover Images)
“It’s your face, your confidence, and your future—it’s important to be sure you’re in the perfect fingers.”
Speaking about her surgeon, Dr Mehmet Erdil, Annie was full of praise.
“His type was precisely what I wished—pure and never too upturned. His Instagram had so many before-and-afters, particularly of noses much like mine. And his opinions weren’t simply good; they have been glowing, detailed paragraphs from blissful sufferers.”
“He’s so educated and humble. I felt fully comfy after my session. He’s not prepared to take dangers that might trigger points later, which gave me a lot confidence in him.”
Annie acknowledges the challenges of travelling overseas for surgical procedure.
Her surgical procedure price £3,555(Image: Cover Images)
“There are professionals and cons. It’s positively cheaper, and the surgeons are extremely expert, however the draw back is that if one thing goes flawed, you may need to journey again for revisions.”
Her surgery, which cost £3,555, included everything from removing her nose hump to fixing her deviated septum.
“They used a rasp and Piezo gadget to take away the hump, carried out osteotomies, and harvested cartilage from my nostril for spreader grafts to enhance respiration and proportion,” she explains.
“They additionally refined the tip with stitches and added a strut graft to raise and strengthen it.”
Annie’s total expenses, including flights, accommodation, and insurance, came to £4,288.
“I flew with Wizz Air for £52 round-trip and stayed in an Airbnb for 9 nights, which price £340. I booked insurance coverage by Medical Travel Shield, which covers elective surgical procedure overseas, simply in case something went flawed.”
Annie is now thrilled with the results.
“It’s been almost a 12 months, and the skin appears to be like good, however the actual win is the within—I can lastly breathe correctly for the primary time in my life,” she says with a smile.
“I pinch myself each day,” she says.
“I can lastly look within the mirror and really feel assured. It’s been a protracted journey, but it surely’s so price it.”
[ad_2]
