- A 14-year-old rhinoplasty patient of plastic surgeon Dr. Babak Azizzadeh said getting a nose job changed her life.
- The girl and her mother said Azizzadeh agreed to perform the procedure after multiple surgeons said the girl was too young.
- Azizzadeh told Insider he could tell from their relationship and the girl's maturity level that she was ready for the nose job.
When a Las Vegas-area mom saw how her then 13-year-old daughter endured bullying over the size of her nose, she decided she would do anything to help her.
The mom, who asked that she and her daughter remain anonymous for privacy reasons, booked an appointment with Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, a Harvard-trained and Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon.
In January, they had a virtual call with Azizzadeh to plan for the young teen's June surgery.
The decision to get plastic surgery is always a complex one, Azizzadeh told Insider. When working with young patients, he said speaking to the teen and their parent is an essential part of his decision to work with them or not. Azizzadeh said he looks for a teenager who is mature enough to research and articulate the look they want from surgery. They also have to have "amazing communication" with their parent, he said.
Dr. Azizzadeh told Insider the girl —who became his youngest patient when he performed her rhinoplasty at age 14 — embodied those traits. She told Insider the procedure allowed her to get over insecurities and put an end to her bullying-related depression.
The teen wouldn't let friends see her without makeup
The girl's mother, who also had a rhinoplasty as a young woman, told Insider it was "heartbreaking" to see her daughter get teased about her appearance.
She reached a breaking point when she saw the lengths her daughter went to to conceal her nose.
"When I started noticing she was wearing so much makeup, trying to contour her nose, it broke my heart," the woman told Insider.
The girl said she would stay up late and wake up extra early during sleepovers with friends so she could be sure to have nose-concealing makeup on.
Together, the girl and her mother agreed to research plastic surgeons. They ran into trouble when multiple doctors turned them away, saying 14 was too young for a rhinoplasty.
"I was looking for someone who understood how this was affecting me and that it was not just for 'cosmetic reasons,' but more to help with confidence and my life in general as well," the girl told Insider.
More online research led them to Dr. Azizzadeh.
She says her rhinoplasty was a 'gift'
Dr. Azizzadeh said the girl and her mother discussed the risks of the procedure together. They decided, because "her nose went through a huge growth change as she developed puberty early," the nose job would have lasting results, he told Insider.
After surgery, the girl's mother knew it was for the best. She said the reveal was emotional, and when they removed her bandages, her daughter cried.
"I knew we did the right thing," she told Insider.
The girl agreed, and said she noticed an instant change.
"I knew I made the right decision after going to a sleepover, and I actually took my makeup off when everyone else did, and no one even noticed anything different because I wasn't pointing out how insecure I felt. I was just enjoying being with friends. What a gift," she told Insider.