THE NO SCALPEL NOSE JOB
England rugby hero Ben Cohen reveals surgeons rebuilt his profile with four injections in 30 minutes
RUGBY star Ben Cohen’s rugged good looks have won him as many fans off the pitch as his sporting prowess has gained him respect on it.
But if his legions of admirers notice he appears a little different today, a bit sleeker and perhaps more refined, there is a reason.
Ben has had some ‘work done’ – a new kind of non-surgical nose job. He was unhappy with his face in profile, the legacy of having had his nose broken more times than he can remember on the pitch.
So he approached facial surgeons Charles East and Lydia Badia – after seeing the ‘ incredible job’ they did on his former England captain Mike Tindall’s nose earlier this year.
By Ben’s own admission, the past 12 months have been hellish, and having a little ‘tweakment’ at the age of 40 was ‘a way to feel a bit better about myself’.
Vanity did come into it, he admits. ‘But I’d also been really ill, in and out of hospital, and even though I finally felt better I looked gaunt and ill. And I wanted to do something about that,’ he says.
The illness Ben refers to is one he was lucky to survive.
In July 2017, he was rushed to hospital after developing chest pains at the home he shares in Northampton with his partner, ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional Kristina Rihanoff, and their two-year-old daughter Milena.
He was diagnosed with pericarditis, a swelling of the protective fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart, possibly triggered by glandular fever, a viral infection similar to flu.
But he had also developed deadly sepsis, the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury that causes it to attack the body’s own organs and tissues.
He was treated and recovered from the pericarditis and sepsis, but suffered two further bouts of glandular fever ‘that basically wrote off a year of my life’.
So few could blame him for looking for a little pick-me-up, and he i s more t han happy with t he results of his cosmetic work which, remarkably, involved no incisions, scalpels or anaesthetic, and no downtime.
The remarkable 30-minute treatment instead involves injections of small amounts of a new type of filler called Ellanse, a viscous gel containing microscopic beads of polycaprolactone, a type of polyester plastic.
This is delivered with a fine needle deep beneath the skin, so it sits between the muscle and bone.
In Ben’s case, the filler was applied above the bridge and in the tip of his nose.
In addition, he had a little filler in his right cheek to correct a depression left by a fracture, and some under his eyes to make them look less hollow. By reshaping and adding volume in certain areas, bumps, lumps and asymmetry can be disguised.
The polycaprolactone is recognised by the immune system as a foreign body and this triggers the formation of new collagen, the protein which gives skin firmness and structure, further enhancing the result. Ellanse breaks down naturally, but patients can expect their new nose to last for up to two years. After this more filler work can be done.
A standard nose job, or rhinoplasty, involves making incisions at the base of the nose through which the surgeon can i nsert i nstruments to chisel down protruding bone and reshape the cartilage. The operation is no walk in the park: patients are typically advised to take two weeks off work to recover, and it can take six months before the swelling fully subsides. In 2014, an all-time high of 4,878 Britons had nose job procedures. Last year, that figure had fallen to 2,751. The reason? The rise of non- surgical operations that are quick, relatively pain-free, and leave no scars, say experts. Rhinoplasty costs from £ 3,000 to £ 5,000, while a non-surgical nose job, also dubbed a ‘liquid nose job’, costs from £400. Ben’s surgeon, Charles East, a specialist in cosmetic and reconstructive facial work, said: ‘ The bridge of Ben’s nose had collapsed, leading to a visible bump, and his whole nose was leaning to the side slightly.
‘ His problems were far l ess severe than Mike Tindall’s, who needed surgery involving bone and cartilage grafts taken from his rib to rebuild his nose.
‘ A liquid nose job was a good option for Ben as this allowed us to correct the deformity without surgery. He could still have a rhinoplasty at a later date.’
The procedure is carried out with just a little topical anaesthetic, but Ben admitted: ‘I was terrified.
‘I’ve never had a needle in my face, and I was worried I’d come out l ooking worse. But aside from a few stinging moments, it didn’t hurt.
‘Afterwards, there was no swelling or pain. The result is subtle, and I’ve had people telling me how well I look, which feels good considering what I’ve been through.’
Injectable cosmetic treatments are soaring in popularity.
The UK market in these ‘tweakments’ is now said to be worth £2.75 billion and even Superdrug offers the jabs at selected outlets.
Today, one patient in four having anti-wrinkle treatment Botox or fillers is male – compared to one patient in ten for standard cosmetic operations. However, non-surgical nose jobs still do carry risks.
There is a dense network of blood vessels around the bridge of the nose, and if filler material i s a c c i dent a l l y i nj e c t e d i nt o these capillaries, or pushes on them, blocking off the circulation – known as vascular compromise – it can lead to skin necrosis: death of the skin tissue due to decreased blood flow.
Vascular compromise occurs in one in every 2,000 cases, according to studies – even in the hands of skilled injectors.
Avoiding serious complications depends on the therapist quickly spotting the signs of the problem and taking appropriate action.
There have also been cases of filler injected in the nose area compromising the nerves around the eye, leading to blindness.
Mr East said: ‘Because Ellanse is placed under the muscle, away from the blood vessels, there is less risk of material entering the circulation. However, it is vital that anyone offering a non- surgical nose job is experienced and medically trained.’
Ben, who says he hasn’t ruled out a rhinoplasty at some point in the future to improve his breathing, added: ‘It’s been a fantastic experience, and I couldn’t feel more positive about it.’
To find your nearest doctor offering treating with Ellanse, go to sinclairpharma.com.
‘I was terrified but the result is subtle and people say I look well’