Dominique

Nasal prosthesis, held in place by biological adhesive

“I was 60 when my life turned upside down, when Dr Floret from Minjoz Hospital in Besançon told me I had cancer of the nose. I had to accept that they were going to remove it and that I would no longer have a nose. I didn’t have a choice.

After the operation, I had radiotherapy and I was quickly directed towards the anaplastologist, Anne-Marie Riedinger. She assured me they could do something that would look really good and I had total confidence in her. She didn’t keep anything from me. However, I was still venturing into the unknown. I had no idea of all the steps that were necessary just to make me a nose. I was impressed by the 3-D model of my face on which my nose had been modelled. I was also surprised by the mixture of all those colours needed to reproduce my skin.

On the day I received my prosthesis, I had an emotional shock. It was only at that moment in time that I realised I would never have my own nose again, that it would be a prosthesis for life!

Now, as the days go by, thanks to my prosthesis, I can live with a nose, I am just like everyone else! You need time to adapt and to rebuild yourself morally and physically. The first month after receiving the prosthesis was hard. I was nervous of other people looking at me, but I realise that most people couldn’t see that I was wearing a prosthesis - even those who knew I had been ill. But everything is fine now and I think I look good. I put eye make-up on and I wear glasses for their aesthetic touch. I switch around the colours, and I feel pretty again.”